Fabrication of high-performance poly(vinyl alcohol)/MgAl-layered double hydroxide nanocomposites

[Display omitted] •A high-performance PVA film is fabricated.•Charging sequence should be controlled during fabricating PVA/LDH nanocomposites.•Hydration number of PVA is calculated basing on DSC measurement.•Optimum mechanical property is gained with the LDH content of 1.0wt%.•The mechanism explains the achievement of high-performance. High-performance poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/MgAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposite films were fabricated by directly dispersing PVA particles into LDH aqueous suspension. Compared with the simple mixing of PVA dispersion with LDH suspension, the method described in this paper enabled uniform dispersion of LDH nanoplatelets in PVA matrix based on scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations. Exfoliated structures of LDH nanoplatelets were observed in the LDH content (ΦLDH) of 1.0wt%. Thus, the corresponding PVA/LDH nanocomposite films exhibited mechanical properties that are extremely superior to those of neat PVA films. A simple model was proposed to describe the interaction mechanism during dispersion and the ultimate morphology of PVA/LDH nanocomposites with various LDH contents. The lowest hydration number of PVA/LDH suspension with ΦLDH=1.0wt% indicated the strongest interaction between PVA chains and LDH nanoplatelets. The PVA/LDH nanocomposite films also exhibited high transparency and water resistance, which could be potentially used in the packaging industry.