Multifunctional ternary composites of poly (vinyl alcohol)/cashew tree gum/pumice particles

Polymer blend composite based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/cashew tree gum (CTG)/with various content of pumice particles were prepared and characterised by FTIR, UV, XRD, SEM, DSC, impedance analyzer, and biodegradation studies. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that the addition of pumice particles to the blend causes structural variation in the PVA/CTG network. The XRD patterns indicated that amorphous domains of the blend decreased with increase in the pumice content. SEM revealed that the pumice particles were well distributed in the blend matrix. DSC studies showed that both the glass transition and melting temperature of the composites increases due to the intermolecular interaction between pumice particles and blend phases. Blend composite with 10wt% of sample shows higher conductivity and dielectric properties than the pure blend is due to the increase in orderness of the pumice particles inside the polymer chain. When the loading of pumice was increased above 10wt%, the electrical properties of the composite decreased, which is due to the agglomeration of filler particle in the polymer matrix. The composite undergoes slow biodegradation than the pure blend. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:38-45, 2018. (c) 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers