Electromagnetic properties of aluminosilicate‐filled polymer composites of poly(vinyl alcohol)–poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)

Abstract Nanocomposites of aluminocilicate are of growing interest not only because they offer exceptional reinforcement at very low filler concentrations, but also because of their electromagnetic properties and natural origin. Aluminosilicate‐filled biodegradable composites of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) were prepared by a conventional solvent casting technique using glass plates as the casting surfaces. The aluminosilicate used in this study is a multicomponent natural clay material. Its average particle size is 23–24 nm. The dielectric and magnetic properties of composite materials of PVA‐PVP and aluminosilicate were investigated in wide frequency ranges from 1 MHz to 1 GHz. The complex permittivity spectra (ε* = ε′ – jε″) had a relaxation type frequency dispersion with an ill‐defined broad resonance line width of the dielectric losses (ε″). The magnetic properties of composites are very low and are independent of the filler concentration. The new nanobiocomposites are brick red in color and weakly ferromagnetic in nature. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:739–744, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers