Thermal and Morphological Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol-based Hydrogel Containing Microcrystal Cellulose

: In this work, the PVA-based hydrogels containing various loading of microcrystal cellulose (MCC: 0; 0.2; 0.4; 0.6 and 0.8) g were prepared in a bench-scale reflux-reactor using water as a solvent in an optimized condition. Other constituents added, i.e. acrylic acid (AA) and N’N-Methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as comonomers as well as ammonium persulphate ((NH4)2S2O8) as initiator was keeping their composition ratio constant. Products of the interpenetrating-hydrogels were cast in plastic mold and cooled, and then characterized. First of all, their absorption properties and were measured using swelling test to know optimum conditions and the next will be characterized with FTIR, DSC, and SEM. Results showed that the optimum composition ratio of PVA/AA/MCC/MBA/APS = 0.4/4/0.6/0.06/0.2 enhanced the water absorption. FTIR analysis of the film specimen after exhaustive extraction in n-hexane still contained stable AA-carbonyl (C=O) absorption peak at 1713 cm -1 of hydrogel 1 and 1707 cm -1 of hydrogel 4. The thermal properties of the optimized composition of the hydrogel 1 showed its stable decomposition temperature (thermal stability of 482.28 o C). Morphological properties of the interpenetrating-hydrogel micro composites also showed finely distributed of the micro filler, which is responsible for its improved mechanical and thermal properties.