Studies of reactions with polymers. I: The reaction of maleic anhydride with PVA and the properties of the resultant

Graft copolymerization of maleic anhydride (MA) onto PVA was carried out both in the presence and absence of the initiator. In the former case, the resultant was a copolymer containing a carboxylic acid and a keto-olefinic side chain. Therefore, the reaction product, viscosity, gel content, and mechanical properties differed from the resultant of the latter, which was obtained by esterification of PVA by MA. Both resultants showed polyelectrolytes characteristics. The dependence of the grafting percentage on the concentration of the initiator, the concentration of the monomer, the reaction temperature, and the reaction medium was studied. Grafted copolymers after heat treatment showed remarkable mechanical strength in the wet state when compared with original PVA.