Increasing Toughness of Oriented PVA/Fe3O4 nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites are a new class of materials for fabricating future multifunctional and lightweight structures. To obtain good mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, it is essential to achieve uniform dispersion in polymer matrix. Fe3O4 nanoparticles has generated huge activity in many areas of science and engineering due to its magnetic properties. The magnetic response from the Fe3O4 nanoparticles can facilitate with the alignment of nanofillers under magnetic field. Here, we report oriented nanocomposites based on Fe3O4 nanoparticles and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), which prepared via a facile aqueous solution by applying a low magnetic field (750 G). A significant enhancement of mechanical properties of oriented PVA/ Fe3O4 nanocomposites is obtained at low loading. For example, orientation of 0.1 wt. % Fe3O4 nanoparticles increase 31% toughness and 23% modulus of oriented nanocmposite in compare of pure films, which indicate good dispersion of nanoparticles and efficient load transfer between nanoparticles and matrix.