Coordination Chemistry of Polyvinyl Alcohol

Poly(vinyl alcohol) is the world’s largest volume synthetic polymer produced for its excellent chemical resistance and physical properties and complete biodegradability, which has led to broad practical applications. PVA is a semi-crystalline polymer whose crystalline index depends on the synthetic process and the physical aging. PVA is a water-soluble polyhydroxy polymer, one of the few linear, non-halogenated aliphatic polymers. PVA has a two dimensional hydrogen-bonded network sheet structure. The physical and chemical properties of PVA depend to a great extent on its method of preparation. Poly(vinyl alcohol) could be considered as a good host material due to good thermo-stability, chemical resistance and film forming ability.