Fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites having different contents of modified SiO 2 by vitamin B 1 as biosafe and novel coupling agent to improve mechanical and thermal properties

In this study, at first, owing to the excessive surface energy and inclination for aggregation, surface treatment of silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles (NP)s was performed by vitamin B 1 (VB 1 ) as a biodegradable and biocompatible coupling agent. The divergent extent of modified SiO 2 (SiO 2 ‐VB 1 ) was incorporated into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix and PVA/SiO 2 ‐VB 1 nanocomposites (NC)s were prepared. TGA analysis showed that the insertion of SiO 2 ‐VB 1 into the PVA improved its thermal resistance. Microscopic observations showed that SiO 2 ‐VB 1 was in average size about 24 nm and was homogeneously dispersed in the PVA matrix. As reported by UV‐Vis spectra, the absorption was raised by increasing the percentage of SiO 2 NPs . Water contact angle analysis indicated that the obtained NCs showed more hydrophilicity property than the neat PVA. Also, a mechanical tensile test of the NCs showed more flexibility than that of the pure PVA. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E1589–E1597, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers