Synthesis and characterization of Konjac glucomannan/poly(vinyl alcohol) interpenetrating polymer networks

Novel interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) coded as KP were synthesized successfully from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) in the presence of glutaraldehyde as a crosslink agent. The transparent IPN films that were 40 mum thick were prepared by means of conventional solvent-casting technique and dried at room temperature for 2 days. The structure and miscibility of the KP films were studied by Fourier transformed infrared spectra, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The results indicated that strong intermolecular interaction caused by crosslink bonding between PVA and KGM occurred in the IPN films, resulting in wonderful miscibility when the reaction time is 4 h. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and moisture uptake was much higher than that of the pure PVA film, KGM film, and uncrosslinked blend films. In other words, the structure of IPN endowed the films with excellent performance, so the new material has promising applications to food package film and agricultural film because of its biodegradability. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.