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Development and characterization study of silk fibre reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) composites

  • Research Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Plastics Technology

Abstract

The current study aims to explore the use of a low cost technique to develop biodegradable composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) reinforced with silk fibre. The composite films were fabricated by varying the weight percentage of silk fibres and PVA, using the solution casting technique and evaluated for their mechanical and bio-degradable properties. The films were further subjected to characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy techniques (AFM). The prepared film composites showed enhanced mechanical properties as compared to the pure PVA film. From the XRD studies, the composite films exhibited improved crystallinity, when compared to the pristine sample. The dispersion of fibres in the matrix was revealed by SEM. The thermal properties of the film composites increased with the increasing concentration of silk fibre. Moreover, the soil burial experiments revealed that the degradation rate improved with the addition of silk fibre, thus making it suitable in the packaging sector, without causing any ecological damage owing to its disposable property.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere appreciation to DST- PURSE, Mangalore University for providing the facilities to carry out the characterizations of the samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Chemistry, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Dakshina Kannada, 574199, Karnataka, India

    Sareen Sheik & G. K. Nagaraja

  2. Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Physics, Karnatak University, Pavate Nagar, Dharwad, 580003, Karnataka, India

    Jagadish Naik & R. F. Bhajanthri

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  1. Sareen Sheik
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  2. G. K. Nagaraja
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  3. Jagadish Naik
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  4. R. F. Bhajanthri
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Correspondence to G. K. Nagaraja.

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Sheik, S., Nagaraja, G.K., Naik, J. et al. Development and characterization study of silk fibre reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) composites. Int J Plast Technol 21, 108–122 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12588-017-9174-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12588-017-9174-7

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