Abstract
The thermal degradation behaviors of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and PVA/zinc oxide (ZnO)
composite are investigated using differential thermal analysis (DTA). The degradation
activation energy (Ed), frequency factor (ko) and Avrami exponent (n) as thermal kinetic
parameters are calculated from the DTA results. The calculated values of Ed are 80.94 and
148.58 kJmol1 for PVAandPVA/ZnOcomposite, respectively, indicating the enhancement
of the PVA thermal stability as ZnOnanoparticles are filled in PVA matrix. The n values are
evaluated from the shape analyses of degradation peaks. From estimated n values, the
degradation mechanisms are determined for both the complexes under investigation.