Polyacrylamide mediated polyvinyl pyrrolidone composites incorporated with aligned molybdenum disulfide

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to design a mechanically durable material consisting of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as 2D material and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) enhanced Polyacrylamide (PAAm) composites. Composites containing different amounts of MoS2 were synthesized via a free-radical crosslinking copolymerization method. They were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence, and mechanical techniques to illuminate band gap energy, absorption, slow release kinetics, and modulus of the composites. Furthermore, the effect of swelling on the elasticity of the composites was investigated. It was observed that the elasticity exhibited similar band gap energies with respect to the MoS2 content. The results demonstrated that the MoS2 content strongly influences the optical and mechanical properties of the composites and consequently physical parameters of the composites have been correlated with the various amounts of MoS2.