Effect of crosslinking agent (glutaraldehyde) on the mechanical properties of (PVA/Starch) blend and (PVA/PEG) binary blend films

Abstract

This paper displays the effect of glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinking agent with different weight ratios (5,8 and 10%) on the mechanical properties (elongation at break and tensile strength) of polyvinyl alcohol/starch & polyvinyl alcohol / polyethylene glycol blend. Solution casting technique was used to prepare (75%PVA/25%corn starch), and (75% PVA/25% PEG) blend films. The results confirmed that when the increased concentration of GA, the tensile strength increased, while elongation at break decreased for both two blends. This study offers the groundwork for applications of this hydrogel membrane in a drug release system.