Effect of surfactant type on oxygen barrier behavior of polyvinyl alcohol/α-zirconium phosphate nanocomposites

Surfactants used to exfoliate and disperse nanoparticles are expected to have an impact on polymer nanocomposite properties. In this work, both ionic tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBA) and amphiphilic polyoxyalkyleneamine (M1000) surfactants were used to exfoliate alpha-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix through simple solution blending. The oxygen barrier properties of the nanocomposites were investigated as a function of ZrP content based on the above two surfactant types. At a low ZrP loading level (<= 2.4 vol%), regardless of the surfactant type, the ZrP nanoplatelets in PVA matrix do indeed create a "torturous pathway" to improve barrier properties even though the crystallinity in PVA/ZrP-M1000 system is decreased. In addition, the PVA/ZrP-TBA films exhibit excellent transparency as good as the neat PVA films. Furthermore, it is found that the high molecular weight amphiphilic M1000 surfactant is less effective than the low molecular weight ionic TBA surfactant in dispersion and exfoliation of ZrP in PVA. This relative incompatibility of ZrP-M1000 compared to ZrP-TBA in PVA leads to its dramatic drop in oxygen barrier properties. This facile aqueous solution blending technique is eco-sustainable and expected to facilitate the preparation of effective polymer nanocomposites for barrier properties applications.