PVA composite for drug delivery and electrochemical application.

Abstract

PVA grafted polymer has been becoming a promising sustainable material for high function needs. In this work, a bio-derived monomer was incorporated onto the PVA backbone successfully to create an environmentally friendly polymer system that can have relevance for drug delivery and electrochemical applications. The bio-derived monomer's grafting with the PVA was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis which showed the emergence of characteristic functional groups and variations in hydrogen bonding interactions. X-ray diffraction analysis showed great modifications in the crystalline structure of PVA after grafting (reduced crystalline and increased amorphous character due to the introduction of grafted chains). Thermogravimetric analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability of the grafted polymer as compared to pristine PVA and was attributed to the presence of PVA functional moieties as well as variations in polymer chain interactions. The structural, crystalline and thermal modifications in the grafted PVA indicate its potential use as a multifunctional polymer platform, where increase in amorphous nature and thermal stability is desired for controlled drug delivery systems and electrochemically active polymer matrices. This work provides evidence of the potential of grafted PVA as a sustainable material for biomedical (Drug delivery) and electrochemical applications in the future. Keywords: graft polymerization, FTIR, XRD, TGA, Drug delivery, Electrochemical applications