The effect of graphene loading on mechanical, thermal and biological properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene nanocomposites

•Enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of PVA matrix with incorporated Gr.•Antibacterial activity of PVA/Gr nanocomposite against S. aureus.•PVA/Gr nanocomposite is noncytotoxic to healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells.•High potential of PVA/Gr nanocomposite for biomedical applications. Poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene (PVA/Gr) nanocomposite was synthesized with the aim of developing a novel improved material. The PVA/Gr nanocomposite was characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses, and the interaction of PVA molecules with graphene was examined. Introduction of Gr led to improved mechanical and thermal properties of the PVA/Gr nanocomposite compared to pure PVA, as well as strong antibacterial activity against the bacterial strain Staphylococcus aureus. The PVA/Gr nanocomposite was non-cytotoxic against healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells by MTT assay, indicating its high potential for biomedical applications.