Effect of sodium acetate on the structure of polyvinyl alcohol

Influence of absorbed moisture on solubility of poly(vinyl alcohol) film during atmospheric pressure plasma jet treatment

“…From the SEM analysis results, it is obvious that the newly grown lamellar crystals are larger as the moisture regain of the film increases. Water molecules in the film may act as a plasticizer which breaks up the intermolecular hydrogen bonds and increases the intermolecular distance [35], facilitating the molecular segmental movement of the polymer and thus greatly speeding up the growth of the new crystals as well as further growth of existing crystals. In addition, amorphous regions could also be selectively etched due to relatively ease of removal, thereby increasing the crystalline/amorphous ratio as suggested by Kim et al [36].…”