Preparation and Characterization of Poly Vinyl Alcohol/Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone/Clay Based Nanocomposite by Gamma Irradiation

A series of PVA/PVP/clay nanocomposite were prepared by gamma irradiation with different clay contents of (0.15, 0.3, 1, 1.5, 3 and 5 wt%). The gelation content and swelling behavior were investigated. The morphology and structure of PVA/PVP/clay nanocomposite and dispersion of the clay nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix were examined by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The introduction of clay into polymeric matrix was investigated by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). It is observed that, the increase of the clay content causes a decrease in the swelling percent. The thermal stability studies confirmed that the introduction of clay lead to an increase in the thermal stability. The TEM results showed that the clay nanoparticles are interchelated or exfoliated in the polymeric matrix. Some desirable characteristics such as relatively good swelling and excellent barrier capability against microbe penetration suggested that PVA/PVP/clay nanocomposite can be a good candidate as a wound dressing.