Fly ash-reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) composites

Abstract

Fly ash (FA) is a waste residue and huge amounts of it have been produced from coal-fired power plants. As a result, it has become a serious issue and there is an urgent need to reduce its accretion as well as improve the safe disposal of FA as it has many toxic constituents including lead, arsenic, and chromium. In an effort to utilize FA, it has been widely used as filler for fabricating polymer composites to improve their performance. Recently, FA-incorporated polymers have received the attention of researchers and industries due to their remarkable properties, such as improved mechanical strength without sacrificing their elasticity, thermal, flame resistance, wettability, resistance to hydrolysis, and possessing excellent dynamic mechanical properties even at low temperatures. In comparison with conventional FA-based polymer composites, those based on surface-modified FA and nanostructured FA (NFA) exhibit superior mechanical and technical properties. The present article reviews various aspects of poly(vinyl alcohol)/FA-based composites. It also focuses on the effect of particle size reduction of FA on the physicochemical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/NFA composites. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.