Abstract
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/montmorillonite clay (MMT) nanofiber mats have been fabricated by the electrospinning technique. The PVA/MMT nanofiber mats were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and mechanical measurements. The study showed that the introduction of MMT results in improvement in tensile strength, and thermal stability of the PVA matrix. XRD patterns and SEM micrographs suggest the coexistence of exfoliated MMT layers over the studied MMT contents. FTIR revealed that there might be possible interaction occurred between the MMT clay and PVA matrix. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 1860-1867, 2009