Chapter 3
PVA/BC Bionancomposite Films
with Particle Size Effect
Abstract The use of conventional carbon-based nanofillers such as carbon
nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene sheets can be hindered to a certain extent when
considering a high level of nanotoxicity via human inhalation and less costeffectiveness for CNTs while the agglomeration of graphene sheets in polymer
matrices. As such, bamboo charcoals (BCs) are suggested as alternative ecofriendly
and sustainable carbon-based particles with good affinity to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
as one of most popular water-soluble biopolymers in order to prepare PVA/BC
bionanocomposites with superior material properties. In this chapter, two different
types of BC particles, namely microdiameter bamboo charcoals (MBCs) and nanodiameter bamboo charcoals (NBCs), were successfully fabricated using a solution
casting method. Nanofiller reinforcement effect was investigated with respect to BC
particle size and dispersion, morphological structures and interfacial interactions
between BCs and PVA matrices in such bionanocomposites. Overall, the addition of
NBCs gave rise to much higher mechanical properties of PVA/NBC bionanocomposites as opposed to PVA/MBC counterparts. The maximum increases in tensile moduli
of bionanocomposites were achieved up to 123 and 100% with the inclusion of 10
wt% NBCs and MBCs, respectively. Furthermore, corresponding tensile strengths
were enhanced by 110 and 72% when incorporated with 3 wt% NBCs and MBCs
accordingly, as compared with that of PVA. It is convincing that associated particle
dispersion states within PVA matrices, as well as interfacial interaction between
BCs and PVA matrices play a leading role in the remarkable property enhancement
in PVA/BC bionanocomposites, which can be potentially used in material packaging
and biomedical applications.
Keywords Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) · Bamboo charcoals (BCs) ·
Bionanocomposites · Nanostructures · Mechanical properties · Atomic force
microscopy (AFM)
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Mousa and Y. Dong, Multiscaled PVA Bionanocomposite Films,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8771-9_3
55
PVA/BC Bionancomposite Films
with Particle Size Effect
Abstract The use of conventional carbon-based nanofillers such as carbon
nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene sheets can be hindered to a certain extent when
considering a high level of nanotoxicity via human inhalation and less costeffectiveness for CNTs while the agglomeration of graphene sheets in polymer
matrices. As such, bamboo charcoals (BCs) are suggested as alternative ecofriendly
and sustainable carbon-based particles with good affinity to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
as one of most popular water-soluble biopolymers in order to prepare PVA/BC
bionanocomposites with superior material properties. In this chapter, two different
types of BC particles, namely microdiameter bamboo charcoals (MBCs) and nanodiameter bamboo charcoals (NBCs), were successfully fabricated using a solution
casting method. Nanofiller reinforcement effect was investigated with respect to BC
particle size and dispersion, morphological structures and interfacial interactions
between BCs and PVA matrices in such bionanocomposites. Overall, the addition of
NBCs gave rise to much higher mechanical properties of PVA/NBC bionanocomposites as opposed to PVA/MBC counterparts. The maximum increases in tensile moduli
of bionanocomposites were achieved up to 123 and 100% with the inclusion of 10
wt% NBCs and MBCs, respectively. Furthermore, corresponding tensile strengths
were enhanced by 110 and 72% when incorporated with 3 wt% NBCs and MBCs
accordingly, as compared with that of PVA. It is convincing that associated particle
dispersion states within PVA matrices, as well as interfacial interaction between
BCs and PVA matrices play a leading role in the remarkable property enhancement
in PVA/BC bionanocomposites, which can be potentially used in material packaging
and biomedical applications.
Keywords Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) · Bamboo charcoals (BCs) ·
Bionanocomposites · Nanostructures · Mechanical properties · Atomic force
microscopy (AFM)
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Mousa and Y. Dong, Multiscaled PVA Bionanocomposite Films,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8771-9_3
55