Preparation of the Heterogeneous Saponified Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Poly(Methyl Methacrylate–Methallyl Alcohol) Blend Film

Abstract

For the first time, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(methyl methacrylate–methallyl alcohol) (P(MMA-MAA)) (9:1, 7:3, 5:5) blend films were made simultaneously using the saponification method in a heterogeneous medium from poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) (9:1, 7:3, 5:5) blend films, respectively. The surface morphology and characteristics of the films were investigated using optical microscopy (OM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, the effect of the PVAc content on the degree of saponification (DS) of the PVAc/PMMA films were evaluated and revealed that the obtained DS value increased with the increase in PVAc content in the PVAc/PMMA blend films. According to the OM results, the saponified films demonstrated increased surface roughness compared with the unsaponified films. The AFM images revealed morphological variation among the saponified PVAc/PMMA blend films with different mass ratios of 9:1, 7:3, and 5:5. According to the DSC and TGA results, all blend film types exhibited higher thermal property after the saponification treatment. The XRD and FTIR results confirmed the conversion of the PVAc/PMMA into PVA/P(MMA-MAA) films. Thus, our present work may give a new idea for making blend film as promising medical material with significant surface properties based on hydrophilic/hydrophobic strategy.

Eco-Friendly Fabrication of Nanoplastic Particles and Fibrils Using Polymer Blends as Templates

“…This study, in particular, demonstrates that polymer blends with a water-soluble polymer as the matrix pose a very high risk of NP emissions, as they can easily dissolve upon exposure to water, thus liberating the embedded NPs into the environment. Despite the existing efforts to blend water-soluble polymers with other polymers for tailored properties, [30][31][32][33][34] our ndings suggest that we should exercise caution in polymer blends containing water-soluble polymers due to their very high potential for NP emission. Furthermore, the ndings indicate that elongational stress in polymer blend processing changes the shape of released NPs.…”