Compatibility of hydroxypropyl cellulose and polyvinyl alcohol

The solution blending of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was carried out in water to evaluate their compatibility. Experimental evidence for the compatibility of these blends was derived from polarized optical microscopy (POM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effect of blending PVA with HPC on structure was studied by micrograph analyses in the form of blend films; variations in the group coordination in the IR region were followed. The changes of structure may be due to the strong hydrogen-bonding interaction between the hydroxyl groups (-OH) of HPC and PVA. All the data obtained showed that there was no obvious phase separation boundary for the blending system when the content of PVA in the blends was over 80 wt%, which indicated an excellent compatibility existing in the blends.