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Preparation, characterization, electrical and antibacterial properties of sericin/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) composites
Author(s) -
Ramesan M. T.,
Athira V. K.,
Jayakrishnan P.,
Gopinathan C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.43535
Subject(s) - vinyl alcohol , sericin , materials science , thermogravimetric analysis , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , composite material , composite number , differential scanning calorimetry , ultimate tensile strength , scanning electron microscope , dielectric , chemical engineering , nuclear chemistry , polymer chemistry , polymer , chemistry , silk , physics , thermodynamics , engineering , optoelectronics
In this study, we focused on the fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)/sericin composites via a simple solution‐blending method. The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and measurements of the conductivity, tensile strength, and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus . The results of FTIR and UV spectroscopy implied the occurrence of hydrogen bonding between sericin and the PVA/PVP blend. The structure and morphology, studied by XRD and SEM, revealed that the sericin particles were well dispersed and arranged in an orderly fashion in the blend. The glass‐transition temperature ( T g ) of the composite was higher than that of the pure blend, and the T g value shifted toward higher temperatures when the volume fraction of sericin increased. TGA indicated that sericin retarded the thermal degradation; this depended on the filler concentration. The mechanical and electrical properties, such as the tensile strength, alternating‐current electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss of the composites, were higher than those of the pure blend, and these properties were enhanced when the concentration of sericin was increased up to 10 wt % filler content, whereas the elongation at break of the composite decreased with the addition of sericin particles. The antibacterial properties of the composite showed that sericin had a significant inhibitory effect against S. aureus . © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 43535.