A novel copper-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/silica complex was prepared and its chemical structure, thermal, and mechanical properties were studied. The results showed that the crystallinity of PVA first increased and then decreased by the addition of copper chloride, whereas, the thermal decomposition temperature increased dramatically. For PVA/silica hybrid, the decomposition temperature associated with the removal of water molecules in PVA chains was 262 degrees C. But the temperature increased to 361 degrees C when the content of copper chloride was 2 wt%. The intelligent electronic tensile tester was used to investigate the mechanical properties of these complexes. The results suggested that the tensile strength of the complexes is improved with negligible decrease in the plasticity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 49:1484 1490, 2009. (C) 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers