Preparation of High Molecular Weight Atactic Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogel by Electron Beam Irradiation Technique

High molecular weight poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel to be expected as a candidate material for the wound-dressing was Successfully prepared by electron beam (EB) irradiation. To produce PVA hydrogels with various gel fractions, degrees of swelling in water, gel strengths, and elongations, two different number-average degrees of polymerization of PVA were adapted Such as 1700 and 4000, and the PVA solution concentration and irradiation dose of EB were controlled to range of 5 similar to 20% and 30 similar to 100 kGy, respectively. The gel fraction and strength of PVA hydrogel were increased with increasing molecular weight of PVA, solution concentration, and irradiation dose of EB. On the contrary, the degree of swelling and elongation of PVA hydrogel were decreased. The thermal property and crystallinity related to degree of crosslinking of PVA hydrogel were examined by the analyses of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction.