Synthesis of aramid nanomaterials by in-situ solution polymerization and application in reinforcement of polyvinyl chloride

Traditionally, aramid fibers or nanofibers (ANFs) consist of poly-p-phenylene terephthanlamide (PPTA) molecules, which can be used to reinforce polar polymers containing the same polar groups (e.g., C = O and –NH-). In this paper, aramid nanomaterials (ANM) were synthesized directly from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix solution using “bottom-up” in-situ method to improve the poor toughness of PVC. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that ANM was uniformly dispersed in PVC matrix, and the morphology of ANM synthesized in different solvents was different, with slightly different modification effects. ANM shows two characteristic peaks of 1536 cm⁻¹ and 1339 cm⁻¹ in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which are characteristic of PPTA, and shows the same 2θ angles of 18°, 22°, and 27° as PPTA in X-ray diffraction (XRD). In terms of the mechanical properties of the composites, the addition of ANM can significantly increase the toughness and strength of PVC and improve the corrosion resistance of the material, in which the toughness increase rate of ANM/PVC/DMF-4 is 861.7 %.