Exploring of Polyvinylchloride / Silicon Carbide Nanocomposites Containing Different Amounts of SiC Nanoparticles

Abstract

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the popular materials that extensively used in different areas, so scientists are trying to investigate its characteristics in different formats, such as blends and composites, to improve its properties. Due to the distinctive nano particles' properties, polymer-based nanocomposites can offer new characteristics to pure polymers and can widen their applications in different areas. In this study, we added different compositions of silicon carbide (SiC) to PVC to investigate its molecular, thermal, and microstructural properties. Attenuated total reflection-infrared (ATR-IR), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and optical microscopy (OM) were utilized to study molecular bond structure, thermal degradation, caloric properties, and surface morphology of the pure PVC and its composites. The first derivative of TG results showed that the temperature of the maximum thermal degradation of the PVC increased with increasing SiC nanoparticle ratio. Also, it is found that the PVC/12 mol% SiC started thermal degradation at comparably low temperature, however, the amount of residue of the composites is more than the pure PVC. Additionally, SiC nanoparticles caused the melting temperature of the composites to slightly shifts to a lower temperature compared to the PVC. It was observed that silicon carbide diminished the smoothness of the surface by increasing its fraction in the composite.