Abstract
Polymers and polymeric composites have steadily reflected their importance in our daily life. Blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with a potentially useful natural biopolymers such as hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) seems to be an interesting way of preparing a polymeric blends. In the present work, blends of PVA/HPC of compositions (100/0, 90/10, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100 wt/wt%) were prepared to be used as bioequivalent materials. Thermal analyses [differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)], and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize and reveal the miscibility map and the structural properties of such blend system. The obtained results of the thermal analyses showed variations in the glass transition temperature (Tg) indicating the miscibility of the blend systems. Moreover, the changes in the melting temperature (Tm), shape and area were attributed to the different degrees of crystallinity and the existence of polymer-polymer interactions between PVA and HPC molecules. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed broadening and sharpening of peaks at different HPC concentrations with PVA. This indicated changes in the crystallinity/amorphosity ratio, and also suggested that the miscibility between the amorphous components of homo-polymers PVA and HPC is possible. The results showed that HPC doped in PVA film can improve the thermal stability of the film under investigation, leading to interesting technological applications.
Highlights
In recent years, copolymers and their blends have attracted the attention of material researchers to obtain intermediate properties with respect to homo-polymers for some specific functions
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPC; Pharma-coat 606) with molecular weight of 95 kg/mol was supplied by Shin Etsu Chemical Co., Japan
The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) studies reveal the miscibility between poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) as well as the induced fundamental changes in the morphology of the films and thermal stability according to their blend compositions
Summary
Copolymers and their blends have attracted the attention of material researchers to obtain intermediate properties with respect to homo-polymers for some specific functions. These interesting properties are attributed to the molecular motions in their amorphous phases. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA; -[-CH2-CHOH-]n-) is the world’s largest volume synthetic polymer produced for its excellent chemical resistance and physical properties and complete biodegradability, which has led to broad practical applications. PVA is a semi-crystalline polymer whose crystalline index depends on the synthetic process and the physical aging [1,2]. The physical and chemical properties of PVA depend to a great extent on its method of preparation
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