Green Synthesis and Physical Properties of poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Maleated in an Aqueous Solutions

The objective of this work was to synthesize maleated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAM) in aqueous solution through esterification, and to seek near optimal degree of grafting and crosslinking. The effects of maleic anhydride (MA) content on the properties of PVAM were investigated. The experimental observations included characterizations by ATR–FTIR and thermo gravimetric analyses (TGA), and determinations of grafting ratio, dynamic viscosity, and swelling ratio. The percentage degree of grafting, dynamic viscosity, and particle size increased with MA content, while the swelling ratio decreased due to copolymerization of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and MA. The peaks at 945 and 918 cm^?1 in the spectrum of PVA indicated the presence of carboxylic groups, while in the spectrum of PVAM only one peak at 920 cm^?1 indicated presence of carboxylic groups, due to copolymerization of PVA and MA. Moreover, the thermal stability of PVA-g-MA was enhanced as observed from TGA. The results suggest 7:3 PVA/MA mass ratio as near optimal for PVA-g-MA.