Effect of silk fiber on the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of PVA/PVP composite films

In the present study, short fiber-reinforced hybrid composite films of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly (vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) with different weight percentages of silk fiber, were prepared by the solvent casting technique. The thermal, mechanical, morphological, and bio-degradable characteristics of the prepared films were evaluated. Soil burial experiments were performed in order to study the bio-degradation rate of the composite films. The composite films showed good mechanical strength with increasing fiber concentration along with good thermal and biodegradable properties. This could possibly be due to the chemical interaction of the fiber functional groups and the matrix, as implied from the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thus making them an exceptional material to be safely disposed without causing ecological damage. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1923-1930, 2018. (c) 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers