Polyvinyl alcohol chemical structure

Rather recently, we have studied the solid-state structure of various polymers, such as polyethylene crystallized under different conditions [17-21], poly (tetramethylene oxide) [22], polyvinyl alcohol [23], isotactic and syndiotactic polypropylene [24,25],cellulose [26-30],and amylose [31] with solid-state high-resolution X3C NMR with supplementary use of other methods, such as X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. Through these studies, the high resolution solid-state X3C NMR has proved very powerful for elucidating the solid-state structure of polymers in order of molecules, that is, in terms of molecular chain conformation and dynamics, not only on the crystalline component but also on the noncrystalline components via the chemical shift and magnetic relaxation. In this chapter we will review briefly these studies, focusing particular attention on the molecular chain conformation and dynamics in the crystalline-amorphous interfacial region. 

Chemical modification of polymers continues to be an active field of research [1-5]. It is a common means of changing and optimising the physical, mechanical and technological properties of polymers [5-7]. It is also a unique route to produce polymers with unusual chemical structure and composition that are otherwise inaccessible or very difficult to prepare by conventional polymerisation methods. For example, hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) which has a structure which resembles that of the copolymer ethylene and acrylonitrile, is very difficult to prepare by conventional copolymerisation of the monomers. Polyvinyl alcohol can only be prepared by hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate. Most of the rubbers or rubbery materials have unsaturation in their main chain and/or in their pendent groups. So these materials are very susceptible towards chemical reactions compared to their saturated counterparts. 

This alteration in chemical structure makes the product insoluble in water. Vinyl acetate (CH ,COOCH CH.) is ilissolved in methanol anil converted into polyvinyl acetate, usinfj a peroxide as a catalyst. Caustic soda is then added to the solution in methanol when the acetate groups are converted to hydroxyl leaving polyvinyl alcohol as the end product. 

Formation of condensation structures is the reason for gelation of solutions of various natural and synthetic polymers. Gelation may be accompanied by conformational changes of macromolecules, which occur in the case of gelling of gelatin and other biopolymers, or in the course of chemical reactions. For instance, according to Vlodavets, partial acetalization of polyvinyl alcohol with formaldehyde in acidic medium under the conditions of supersaturation yields fibers of polyvinyl formals which further undergo coalescence and form a network with properties similar to those of leather (and artificial leather substitute). 

In experimentel animals, methylcellulose injection leads to hypertension, due to extensive methylcellulose thesaurosis of the glomerular endothelium (Hall and Hall 1961). Comparable hypertension and nephrotoxicity have been produced by injection of polyvinyl alcohol (Hall and Hall 1965). The pathogenic effects depended more on molecular size than on chemical structure. Similarly, dogs and rabbits injected with pectin showed atheromatous changes and thesaurosis with foam cellular storage phenomena in spleen, liver, and kidneys (Hueper 1942). 

Figure 2. Chemical structures of some biodegradable polymer materials PVOH polyvinyl alcohol,...

Here advantage is taken of modification by swelling and adsorption of chemically reactive modifiers and catalysts into the polymer to generate different functional groups. It has been shown that the pendant hydroxyl groups of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly-2-hydroxy propyl methacrylate can partially be reacted with acetic or benzoic anhydride or phenyl isocyanate to form new structures [44], to form side groups with ester linkages. As a result a copolymer of is produced ... 

The homogeneous dispersion of cellulose nanoparticles in a polymer matrix in order to obtain nanomaterials is due to their size, which allows penetration in hydrosoluble or at least hydrodispersible structures (as latex-form polymers) as well as dispersion of polysaccharide nanocrystals in nonaqueous media especially using surfactants and chemical grafting. Thus, one of the processing techniques of polymer nanocomposites reinforced with polysaccharide nanocrystals was carried out using hydrosoluble or hydrodispersible polymers. In this respect, the literature has reported preparation of polysaccharide particles with reinforced starch (Svagan et al. 2009), silk fibroin (Noishiki et al. 2002), poly(oxyethylene) (POE) (Samir et al. 2006), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (Zimmermann et al. 2005), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) (Zimmermann et al. 2005), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (Choi and Simonsen 2006), or soy protein isolate (SPI) (Zheng et al. 2009). 

Biodegradation indicates degradation of a polymer in natural environment. This implies loss of mechanical properties, changing in the chemical structure, and into other eco-friendly compounds (Jamshidian et al. 2010). Degradable polymers from natural sources (such as lignin, cellulose acetate, starch, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxylaUcanoates, polyhydroxylbutyrate (PHB)), and some synthetic sources (polyvinyl alcohol, modified polyolefins, etc.) are classified as biopolymers (John and Thomas 2008). It is noticeable that the nanocomposite from nonrenewable synthetic sources is neither wholly degradable nor renewable. 

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