Nucleation of polyvinyl alcohol crystallization by single-walled carbon nanotubes

Non-isothermal crystallization experiments were performed on poly(vinyl alcohol) mixed with single-walled carbon nanotubes. Non-isothermal crystallization experiments showed that nanotubes nucleate crystallinity at weight fractions as low as 0.1%. An Ozawa model was applied to the non-isothermal crystallization data, and this approach confirmed the results deduced from the qualitative examination of the data: there was a clear difference in crystallization kinetics for the 0.1 and 1% sample vs. the sample without nanotubes. Nanotubes were also found to promote the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl alcohol). (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.