Structural, optical, morphological and mechanical studies of polyethylene oxide/sodium alginate blend containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were added to mixture of polyethylene oxide (PEO)/sodium alginate (SA) (70/30 wt.%) films via the casting way. X-ray diffraction exhibited the amorphous behavior of the polymer samples, also showed a decrease in the crystalline ratio after the addition of Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy exhibited changes in intensity of some peaks after embedding of MWCNTs, these changes were related to the interaction between PEO/SA blend and MWCNTs. The optical properties of samples were investigated by ultraviolet and visible (UV/vis) spectroscopy and showed decrease in optical energy gap as the concentration of MWCNTs increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited a homogeneous growth mechanism which denotes the partial compatibility between the nanocomposite components. The mechanical behavior measurements of the prepared samples showed improvement of the modulus of elasticity and tensile strength after adding MWCNTs. This may be due to interaction and adhesion between MWCNTs and polymeric samples. Present results confirm the advantage of selecting MWCNTs as a nanofiller to improve the optical and mechanical properties of polymeric films.