The preparation and characterization of PVA/Ag2S nanocomposite

Nanocomposite of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-Ag2S was prepared using the hydr othermal process by the in situ reaction with CS2 as the sulfur source. The use of CS2 as the sulfur source can avoid the introduction of the by-produ cts such as NaCl and KCI obtained when Na2S and K2S are used. X-ray diffrac tion results showed that pure phase of Ag2S was obtained in the prepared na nocomposites. They also showed that the crystallinity of PVA was largely de creased after the composition with nano-sized sulfides. This is also confir med by infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the Ag2S particles were in sphere shape with 80-120 nm diameter in the as-prepa red nanocomposites. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was also used to chara cterize the as-prepared nanocomposites. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.