Preparation and characterization of binary grafted polymeric blends of polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin and evaluation of their water uptake potential

Binary hydrophilic blends of poly(acrylamide-co-methylene bis acrylamide) grafted polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and gelatin (GEL) were prepared by redox polymerization method and the end product was characterized by infra red (IR) spectral analysis, differential scanning calorimety (DSC) measurements, and scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Network parameters such as molecular weight between crosslinks (M-c) and crosslink density of the hydrogel were also determined by swelling measurements. In addition, the blend hydrogels were assessed for their water sorption characteristics and influence of various factors such as composition of the blend, pH and temperature of the swelling bath and, the presence of electrolytes were investigated on the water uptake potential of blend hydrogels.