Viscometric study of aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solutions as a binder in adhesive formulations

Commercial grade poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is widely used in adhesive and textile industries. The density and viscosity of an aqueous PVA solution are important properties in the various processing stages in these industries. In this work, the density and viscosity of aqueous PVA solutions are measured and the average molecular weight of PVA is determined. The measured densities are expressed by a simple linear equation in terms of PVA weight fractions. The coefficients of the density equation are calculated and presented. The measured viscosities are fitted to the modified Eyring viscosity model developed by the authors and the parameters of the model are evaluated. The viscosity model with known parameters for aqueous PVA solutions has the added advantages that it can be used in practical applications in various industries for predicting viscosity of aqueous PVA solutions without recourse to expensive and time consuming experimental measurements.