Thermal stability of polymer composite films based on polyvinyl alcohol doped with different fillers

Thermal stability of polymers and composites play an essential role for some specific applications and can be enhanced by using appropriate fillers. Thermal analysis as Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) has become the polymer characterization method the most frequently used. In the present study the influence of some transition metal salts and metal on the thermal decomposition behavior of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the matrix, have been carried out using thermogravimetric analysis. The films of pure PVA and doped with filers Copper sulfate (CuSO4), Silver sulfate (Ag2SO4), Copper chloride (CuCl2), and Copper powder, are prepared using casting technique. These fillers exhibit improvement in the thermal stability as realised by ashift in thermal decomposition of pure PVA. Similar observations were made by various researchers. A change in the thermal decomposition temperature of PVA was seen to depend upon the nature of the type of filers. The increase in the decomposition temperature for various composites, though not very significant, the decomposition patterns appear to be significantly different after 300 oC exhibiting slow degradation.