Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Hydrotalcite Composite Nanofibre: Preparation and Characterization

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/hydrotalcite (HT) composite nanofibres were preparedby electrospinning. First HT was pretreated by sodium dodecyl benzenesulphonate (SDBS) in order to improve its dispersability and stability in PVA. Themorphological structure and mechanical properties of the nanofibres were investigatedby scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractionanalysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and appropriate mechanical tests. Itis believed that because of good compatibility in weak acidic condition, PVA/HTsolution could be made into nanofibres with uniform fibre diameter. The structural studyshowed that some of the molecular chains of PVA are inserted into HT layers, allowingHT with wider layer spacing for more PVA chains to be situated between the layers,which led to better combination of PVA and HT. Also with the treated-HTjoined in, the intensity and position of crystalline absorption of PVA at 1140 cm-1showed no noticeable change, indicating HT did not undermine the crystallization ofPVA. In addition, the mechanical tests results showed that adding HT can improve tensilestrength of the PVA matrix.