Thermal properties in strong hydrogen bonding systems composed of poly(vinyl alcohol), polyethyleneimine, and graphene oxide

Blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyethyleneimine (PEI), and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared by solution casting method. Calorimetric thermal properties of the blends were investigated. The $T_gs$ of PVA/PEI blends were higher than the $T_gs$ of either of the component polymers at low concentrations of PEI. These abnormal increases of $T_gs$ may be due to the negative entropy of mixing which is associated with strong hydrogen bonding between PVA and PEI. The degree of depression of $T^0_ms$ was not reduced by the negative entropy of mixing, since strong hydrogen bonding also causes an increase in the magnitude of negative ${\chi}$ between PVA and PEI. The $T_g$ of PVA was increased significantly by adding 0.7 wt.% GO into PVA. The magnitude of negative ${\chi}$ was increased by adding GO into the blends of PVA and PEI.