Development and characterization study of silk fibre reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) composites

The current study aims to explore the use of a low cost technique to develop biodegradable composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) reinforced with silk fibre. The composite films were fabricated by varying the weight percentage of silk fibres and PVA, using the solution casting technique and evaluated for their mechanical and bio-degradable properties. The films were further subjected to characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy techniques (AFM). The prepared film composites showed enhanced mechanical properties as compared to the pure PVA film. From the XRD studies, the composite films exhibited improved crystallinity, when compared to the pristine sample. The dispersion of fibres in the matrix was revealed by SEM. The thermal properties of the film composites increased with the increasing concentration of silk fibre. Moreover, the soil burial experiments revealed that the degradation rate improved with the addition of silk fibre, thus making it suitable in the packaging sector, without causing any ecological damage owing to its disposable property. © 2017, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology.