Polymeric materials polyvinyl alcohol

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is a water soluble polyhidroxy polymer, is one of the widely used synthetic polymers for a variety of medical applications [197] because of easy preparation, excellent chemical resistance, and physical properties. [198] But it has poor stability in water because of its highly hydrophilic character. Therefore, to overcome this problem PVA should be insolubilized by copolymerization [43], grafting [199], crosslinking [200], and blending [201], These processes may lead a decrease in the hydrophilic character of PVA. Because of this reason these processes should be carried out in the presence of hydrophilic polymers. Polyfyinyl pyrrolidone), PVP, is one of the hydrophilic, biocompatible polymer and it is used in many biomedical applications [202] and separation processes to increase the hydrophilic character of the blended polymeric materials [203,204], An important factor in the development of new materials based on polymeric blends is the miscibility between the polymers in the mixture, because the degree of miscibility is directly related to the final properties of polymeric blends [205],... 

An interesting feature of current commercial products is that the polymer vehicles available for formulation have been limited to nonionic and anionic materials. The delivery vehicles available included off-the-shelf polymers such as carboxymethylcellulose, soluble starch, hydroxyethyl-cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, poly(acrylic acid), and polyvinylpyrrolidone, or mixtures thereof. The choice of available polymeric delivery system primarily depends on component compatibility, aesthetics, and efficacy. However, by reliance upon available (off-the-shelf) systems, limitations on bioadhesion, drug bioavailability, contraceptive efficacy, and end-use characteristics has been limited. 

Sorokin, A., Influence of the Intramolecular distribution of vinyl acetate groups in polyvinyl alcohols on their physiochemical and biological properties, Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering of the American Chemical Society Meeting, Vol. 78, Spring, Dallas TX 1998. 

Another vinyl-based fiber, polyvinyl alcohol, or vinal, was developed in Japan but has not been produced or used in the United States. As such, it illustrates the importance of both relative availability of raw materials and differences in markets, in the success of a chemical product. Acetylene made from calcium carbide is converted to vinyl acetate, which, following polymerization, is saponified to polyvinyl alcohol. 

Since about 1950 polymer-bonded (or plastic-bonded) explosives (PBX) have been developed in order to reduce sensivity and to facilitate safe and easy handling. PBX also show improved processibility and mechanical properties. In such materials the crystalline explosive is embedded in a rubber-like polymeric matrix. One of the most prominent examples of a PBX is Semtex. Semtex was invented in 1966 by Stanislav Brebera, a chemist who worked for VCHZ Synthesia in Semtin (hence the name Semtex), a suburb of Pardubice in the Czech Republic. Semtex consists of varying ratios of PETN and RDX. Usually polyisobutylene is used for the polymeric matrix, and phthalic acid n-octylester is the plasticizer. Other polymer matrices which have been introduced are polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, PTFE (teflon), Viton, Kel-F and various polyesters. 

The chemicals used for coating and laminating are polymeric materials, either naturally occurring or produced synthetically. These include natural and synthetic rubbers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic, phenohc resins, polyurethanes, silicones, fluorochemicals, epoxy resins and polyesters." Coating formulations typically include auxiliaries such as plasticizers, adhesion promoters, viscosity regulators, pigments, fillers, flame retardants, catalysts and the like. ... 

Spectra of Crystals Infrared Dichroism. The spectrum of a single crystal observed in polarized light depends upon the orientation of the crystal axes relative to the plane of polarization. A similar situation exists for macroscopically oriented high polymers, obtained by extruding or stretching polymeric materials such as nylon, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyethylene. Ellis and co-workers were the first to make systematic studies of IR dichroism in H bonded systems (604, 779, 780). Further attention was drawn to the method by Mann and Thompson (1334), Crooks (463), and Ambrose, Elliott, and Temple (595, 38, 589, 4). 

Polyvinyl alcohol is produced through the hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate. The repeating unit of vinyl alcohol is not used as the starting material because it cannot be obtained in the quantities and purity required for polymerization purposes. The hydrolysis proceeds rapidly in methanol, ethanol, or a mixture of alcohol and methyl acetate, using alkalis or mineral acids as catalysts. 

The materials employed for making hollow microspheres include inorganic materials such as glass and silica, and polymeric materials such as epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin, silicone resin, phenolics, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, polyjM-opylene and polystyrene, among others, commercial jx oducts available are glass, silica, phenolics, epoxy resin, silicones, etc. Table 36 shows low-density hollow spheres. Table 37 shows physical properties of glass microspheres, and Table 38 shows comparison of some fillers on the physical properties of resulting foams (10). 

For the investigations reported here polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and its derivatives such as polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl ether etc. were used as the basic polymeric materials. These compounds can easily be converted into polymeric analogues [1]. It was shown in an earlier work [2] that PVA-membranes with an asymmetrical structure can be obtained by phase-inverted precipitation similar to the method of Loeb and Sourirajan [3]. These membranes can also be rendered inso].uble in water by... 

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