Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was blended with starch (S) in presence of glacial acetic acid as crosslinking agent. The effect of blend ratio and molecular weight of PVA on the physical, thermal and mechanical properties of PVA/S blends were investigated using various techniques such as DSC, TGA, SEM, tensile strength, and solubility tests. Furthermore, biodegradability of the blend films was also studied. In addition, FTIR spectroscopy was used to check the hydrogen bonding interaction between PVA and S in the blends. The obtained results showed that the physico-mechanical properties are strongly dependent on the molecular weight and PVA content in PVA/S blends. DSC and SEM analyses of PVA/S blend showed a single glass transition temperature indicating the formation of completely miscible blends with a single phase due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups of PVA and starch. In addition, PVA/S blend films exhibited good mechanical properties, thermal stability as compared with the pure PVA. More interestingly, the results showed enhancement in biodegradability of PVA/S blend films and particularly in moist soil, which can be exploited for manufacturing of biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging materials at low cost.

The miscibility behavior and physico-mechanical properties between methyl cellulose (MC) of different molecular weights (4 × 10(4) and 8.3 × 10(4)g/mol) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were studied by viscometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile strength and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using water as a solvent. Various formulations were designed to investigate the effects of process variables such as pH on the physico-mechanical and miscibility properties of MC/PAA blends. The rheological features for the obtained blends are strongly dependent on the molecular weight of the MC used and pH. The viscosity measurements showed that all blends have non-Newtonian shear thinning (pseudoplastic) behavior. These blends have a single glass transition indicating that these blends are able to form a miscible phase due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl group of MC and the carboxyl group of PAA. The MC/PAA blends exhibit good mechanical properties, thermal stability, characteristics of a MC-PAA polymer network. SEM of the blends showed no phase separation, when compared with the pure MC and PAA.

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Physico-mechanical properties of cement pastes were studied by setting time, combined water, compressive strength, SEM as well as porosity in presence of blend polymers. Blend polymers were used based on polyvinyl alcohol and carbamide with blend ratios 20/80, 40/60 and 80/20 respectively. The addition of blend polymers to cement pastes affected the physico-mechanical properties of cement pastes. As the content of carbamide in the polymer blends decreased, the water of consistency decreased, whereas the setting times (initial & final) were elongated. The combined water content and compressive strength of the hardened cement pastes were increased at all ages of hydration. The SEM images showed that the addition of these polymers to cement material improves the dispensability and workability of cement pastes.

Composition gels on the basis of bentonite clay of Manrak deposit (East-Kazakhstan region) and nonionogenic polymers -poly-2-hydroxyethyl-acrylate and polyacrylamide were synthesized by radical intercalative polymerization in situ with various content o f cross-linking agent N,N-methylene-bisacrylamide and with time of intercalation about 8 hours. The morphological structure, the nature of interaction of components and the swelling ability of composition gels were studied by scanner electron microscopy, equilibrium swelling and IR-spectroscopy methods. By studying of morphological structure it was determined, that the polymer-clay composition gels, synthesized by intercalative polymerization, are most homogenous and interconsistency in case of "acrylamide-clay" composition in contrast with "2-hydroxyethylacrylate -clay" composition. For "acrylamide-clay" gels the swelling degree of gels was stated to decrease with the increase in the content of cross-linking agent and ionic strength, but "2-hydroxyethylacrylate -clay" compositions have the extremely character of swelling, where maximum degree of swelling account for gel with content of cross-linking agent 1*10 -2 М. Interaction of composition components was realized on account of hydrogen bonds with formation of chemically cross-linked complex polymer-clay. Decrease of swelling degree of compositions in physiological solution points to acquisition of polyelectrolyte nature of composition gels on account of combination of nonionogenic macromolecules of polymers with negatively charged particles of bentonite clay. For intercalated samples of polymer-clay compositions, the degree of swelling at all degrees of cross-linking is between those for pure polymers and pure clay, that in turn, agrees with the conclusion on the great composition homogeneity of samples with preliminary intercalation. As of results of holding investigation fit is safe to say, that obtained polymer-clay composition gels are potential sorbents and prolongated carriers of medicines.