Optical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties and non-isothermal decomposition behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol)–ZnO nanocomposites

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites incorporated with ZnO nanofiller were prepared and examined to study the influence of nanofiller on their properties. All the prepared samples were analyzed using FTIR and XRD. The observation of M–O stretching peak (at 526 cm −1 ) in the samples indicated the interaction of ZnO with PVA matrix. The XRD patterns of PVA nanocomposites confirmed the presence of ZnO nanofiller. The uniform dispersion of ZnO nanofiller as well as the interaction of nanofiller with the PVA matrix was also observed in SEM study. The size of the ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) was estimated to be less than 35 nm from the TEM micrograph. The light absorption and transmittance behaviors of the PVA nanocomposites were examined by analyzing the UV–visible spectra. The prepared PVA nanocomposite films exhibited high absorption in the UV region. The band gap of PVA was decreased after incorporating the ZnO NPs. The thermal property and non-isothermal degradation behavior of the polymer nanocomposites were assessed using a TGA instrument. The energy of activation associated with the thermal decomposition behavior of the polymer composites was determined using the kinetic models. The DC electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the nanocomposite films were enhanced by the addition of ZnO NPs as compared with the pure PVA.