Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH, PVA, or PVAl) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer. It has the idealized formula [CH2CH(OH)]n. It is used in papermaking, textile warp sizing, as a thickener and emulsion stabilizer in PVAc adhesive formulations and a variety of coatings. It is colourless (white) and odorless. It is commonly supplied as beads or as solutions in water.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is essentially made from polyvinyl acetate through hydrolysis, is easily degradable by biological organisms and in water is a solubilized crystalline structure polymer. PVA is an artificial polymer that has been used during the first half of the 20th century worldwide. It has been applied in the industrial, commercial, medical, and food sectors and has been used to produce many end products, such as lacquers, resins, surgical threads, and food packaging materials that are often in contact with food. PVA is a biodegradable imitation of natural polymers used in paper coating and textile sizing. This polymer is widely used by blending with other polymer compounds, such as biopolymers and other polymers with hydrophilic properties; it is utilized for various industrial applications to enhance the mechanical properties of films because of its compatible structure and hydrophilic properties. Some man-made polymers, which are made from non-renewable and non-biodegradable sources, such as PVA, are available. Polymers that are biologically decomposable originate from petroleum-based synthetic materials, which decompose naturally under aerobic (composting) or anaerobic (landfill) conditions.
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