Mechanical and thermal behavior of polyvinyl alcohol reinforced with aligned carbon nanotubes

Abstract

In recent years, due to their high specific mechanical properties, the polymer matrix composites have been widely used. In particular, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been used as reinforcement due to its exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. In this work the mechanical behavior of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) reinforced with different percentages of mechanically oriented CNTs was studied. The composite material was made starting with a solution of PVA+ distilled water, and then the CNTs were added to the solution and dispersed by magnetic stirring and ultrasonic agitation. During this step, a surfactant was added to help with the CNTs dispersion. This mixture was poured into a container and dried using a heat source to accelerate its polymerization and curing. The layers obtained were subjected to mechanical stretching at controlled temperature to align the CNTs in the loading direction. The mechanical properties were measured by tensile testing and nanoindentation. The results show a large increase in modulus and hardness compared with nonreinforced polymeric material, it was also found a significant increase in the tensile strength. The composite with the best properties was subjected to thermal stabilization by ethanol, obtaining an increase in the degradation temperature of about 100°C approximately, although in this case the mechanical stiffness and hardness were decreased compared to unstabilized material, the usefulness of this material is enhanced.

Controlled Release Behaviors of Tribenuron Methyl Herbicide and Potassium Nitrate Fertilizer from Natural Polymer Blended Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Hydrogel Microspheres

“…The TGA and DSC analysis of PVA hydrogel microspheres have indicated that the blending of polymers in PVA hydrogels (Fig. 2) has increased the thermal stability of PVA (Escobar et al, 2015;Wanyika, 2013). Wave number (cm 1 ) Table 3: Thermogravimetric (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) analysis of pure PVA hydrogels, polymer blended PVA hydrogels, and of polymer blended PVA hydrogels before and after the release of loaded agrochemicals Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data DSC analysis data - The Initial Decomposition Temperature (IDT) of PVA-PE hydrogels has increased to 280°C in comparison to IDT of pure PVA hydrogels (163°C).…”

Characterization of carbon nanotubes reinforced PVOH polymer composites added with calcined clam shells with the presence of electron beam irradiation

“…Due to its hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, it also has immense potential to be used in the biomedical and pharmaceutical application to replace the usage of nondegradable polymers 2 . However, the weak mechanical properties exhibited by pristine PVOH have significantly limited its application 3 . Moreover, PVOH is also a costly commercial material.…”

“…2 However, the weak mechanical properties exhibited by pristine PVOH have significantly limited its application. 3 Moreover, PVOH is also a costly commercial material. In order to address these issues, PVOH can be blended with filler not only to improve the properties but also to lower down the production cost of the end product.…”