Nanoindentation of solution combustion based nanosized metal oxide nanoparticles and derived polyvinyl alcohol/NaCl/metal oxide nanocomposites

The Metal oxide nanoparticles, used as fillers in polymer matrices have resulted in remarkable changes in the physio-chemical properties of the resulting polymer nanocomposites. The zinc oxide (ZnO), cobalt oxide (Co3O4) and magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles were synthesized using solution combustion synthesis. Mechanical properties of the polymer nanocomposites prepared by solvent casting were examined by a nanoindentation technique and they are found to exhibit a notable decrease in the elastic modulus and hardness. The plastic deformation in the polymer nanocomposites occur at a lower indentation depth compared to the pristine PVA indicating that the nanocomposites are more ductile than the host polymer.