Hydrogels are one of the most widely employed materials in biological, medical and technological areas. They consist essentially on a low-cost and hydrophilic soft polymer, which forms a three-dimensional network and has the ability to absorb a large amount of water. In particular, the cryogels of polyvinylalcohol (PVA) constitute an eco-friendly alternative due to they can be obtained by a physical crosslinking method (through freezing/thawing cycles, F-T) thus avoiding the use of potentially harmful components. However, the use of hydrogels sometimes is restricted due to their specific properties. It is well-known that polymeric nanocomposites reinforced with clays show valuable improvements in their mechanical properties, heat resistance and gas permeability, regarding conventional micro and macrocompounds [1]. This is due to the large contact area between the matrix and the filler [2]. Composite hydrogels will be prepared employing PVA and bentonite (abundant and low cost smectite-type clay in Argentina) as raw materials through the previously optimized F-T crosslinking method. Different nanocomposite hydrogels will be obtained by varying the corresponding reactor feed. These materials have been recently chemically, morphologically and mechanically analyzed by our group [3]. Specifically, in the present work, thermal degradation behavior of PVA-bentonite hydrogels will be deeply studied. Kinetic analytical models [4] will be applied to non-isothermal thermogravimetric (TGA) measurements trying to identify the possible mechanism for PVA degradation in the presence of bentonite. [1] Haraguchi, K., (2007). Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Sci. 11, 47-54. [2] Sinha Ray S., Okamoto M., (2003). Prog. Polym. Sci. 28, 1539-1641. [3] Gonzalez J., Ponce A., Alvarez V., (2016). Adv. Mater. Lett. 7, 979-985. [4] Gotor F. J., Criado J. M., Malek J., Nobuyoshi K., (2000). J. Phys. Chem. A. 104,10777-10782.