Enhancement in thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of novel PVA nanocomposite embedded with SrO nanofillers and the analysis of its thermal degradation behavior by nonisothermal approach

Effect of SrO nanofillers on the physical and chemical properties of newly prepared PVA nanocomposites was investigated in‐depth in this article. The structure of SrO nanopowder and PVA nanocomposites were analyzed using FTIR for surface chemistry and XRD for crystallographic nature. The extent of dispersion and particle size of SrO nanopowders were obtained from TEM micrographs. The average particle size of the SrO nanopowder was 57 nm. The uniformly dispersed SrO nanofillers in the host PVA matrix were observed from the TEM micrographs. The prepared PVA nanocomposites displayed a high absorption in the UV region. The thermal stability of PVA nanocomposites was enhanced after the addition of SrO nanofillers. The nonisothermal degradation study was carried out using different kinetic models for the prepared PVA nanocomposites. The Young's modulus (Y) and tensile strength of the PVA nanocomposites were higher than that of the pristine PVA. The DC conductivity of PVA was also increased when the PVA was embedded with the SrO nanoparticles. Highlights The novel PVA nanocomposites embedded with SrO nanofillers were prepared by the solution casting method. The band gap of PVA was decreased gradually while increasing the concentration of SrO nanofillers. The thermal degradation of polymer composites was studied under nonisothermal heating using several kinetic models. The thermal stability of PVA was enhanced after the addition of SrO nanofillers. The electrical and mechanical Properties of PVA nanocomposites were also improved.