Development the Hydrophobic Property of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Silicon Dioxide/Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites for Self-Cleaning and Soil Stabilization
This study focused on synthesizing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) utilizing glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinking agent and silicon dioxide (SiO<sub>2</sub>) nanopowder with titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanopowder to reduce or prevent the hydrophilic property of PVA. Integrati...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/8/1664 |
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| Summary: | This study focused on synthesizing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) utilizing glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinking agent and silicon dioxide (SiO<sub>2</sub>) nanopowder with titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanopowder to reduce or prevent the hydrophilic property of PVA. Integrating SiO<sub>2</sub> and TiO<sub>2</sub> into the PVA boosted the hydrophobicity, thermal properties, and self-cleaning of the PVA film. The characteristic properties of PVA/GA, PVA/SiO<sub>2</sub>/GA, and PVA/SiO<sub>2</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>/GA nanocomposites polymer membranes were investigated by gel content, swelling capacity, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and contact angle. The resulting PVA/5%SiO2/1%TiO<sub>2</sub>/GA nanocomposite exhibits much better physical properties than PVA/GA hydrogel (water absorbency from 3.1 g/g to 0.07 g/g and contact angel from 0° to 125°). In addition, the nanocomposite retains very low swelling properties. These prepared nanocomposites are promising in a variety of applications such as sand soil stabilizers, construction, and building works where they exhibit excellent water resistance performance. This study introduces a novel approach for creating hydrophobic polymeric membranes from hydrophilic polymeric materials to stabilize sandy soil effectively. |
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| ISSN: | 1420-3049 |