Poly(vinyl alcohol) Chains Grafted onto the Surface of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles: Application in Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Optically Active and Thermally Stable Nanocomposites Based on Poly(amide-imide) Containing N-trimellitylimido-L-valin

Green polymer nanocomposites (NCs) show unique properties of combining the advantages of nanofillers and organic polymers. In this study, in order to control the dispersion of nanoparticles (NPs) in a polymer matrix, first, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a green modifier was grafted on the surface of the CuO NPs to obtain CuO-PVA nanohybrid. Then poly(amide-imide) (PAI) was synthesized by the direct step growth polymerization of N-trimellitylimido-L-valine and 4,4′-methylenebis(3-chloro-2,6-diethylaniline) in ionic liquid medium. Finally, CuO-PVA hybrids were incorporated into the PAI matrix using ultrasonic technique for the preparation of PAI/CuO-PVA NCs. The obtained PAI/CuO-PVA NCs were characterized by different methods. The results of thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal stability of the NCs was enhanced by incorporation of CuO-PVA nanohybrid compared to the pure PAI.