Preparation and properties of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films by incorporation of γ- aminopropyltriethoxysilane(APTES) modified mesoporous silica (SBA-15) as filler.

In this work, a mesoporous silica (SBA-15) was synthesized using a hydrothermal method and the surface of the SBA-15 was further modified by utilizing the organosilane compound γ- aminopropyltriethoxysilane(APTES); FT-IR testing confirmed the successful grafting of these organic groups onto the surface of the SBA-15, the result being the AP-S. Composite films were subsequently prepared through a casting method, with SBA-15 and AP-S serving as the inorganic filler particles, and PVA acting as the matrix material. These films were characterized by tensile texts, dynamic mechanical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and dielectric measurements. The results showed that the tensile modulus, loss modulus and dielectric properties of the modified AP-S/PVA composite films were improved compared with those of SBA-15/PVA, with the tensile strength being the largest at 145.25 MPa when the AP-S content was 2%. This result combined with the SEM analysis, shows that the incorporation of SBA-15 modified by APTES into PVA films can effectively improve the dispersion of SBA-15 in the PVA films, which can also explain the performance enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]