Abstract

Background: The addition of nanofillers to polymers for enhanced performance is delivering more interesting applications for aerospace, aeronautic industries, and other numerous nanotechnical applications.

Objective: The aim was, therefore, to examine the role of graphene nanopowder on the thermal stability and conductivity of the poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVA/PVP) polymer nanocomposites.

Methods: In this work, graphene nanofillers were incorporated into the PVA/PVP polymer blended by solution mixing for the preparation of nanocomposite films.

Results: Results showed that increasing graphene ratio improved thermal conductivity up to 330%, moreover enhancing hardness shore A up to 16.3% compared to pure PVA/PVP blend polymer. TGA analysis confirmed that the PVA/PVP and graphene network showed good thermal stability.

Conclusion: From the present findings, it is proved that PVA/PVP blends have profound effects on thermal stability that cannot be attained by using individual counterparts. The property of the nanocomposite depends on the host blend, morphology, and interfacial characteristics.

Keywords: Graphene, PVA/PVP blend, thermal conductivity, hardness, DSC, TGA.

Graphical Abstract