Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)-Based Gels with Boric Acid as Crosslinker

Gels are soft materials made of a crosslinked polymer network immersed in a fluid. When water is the main component, these materials (hydrogels) find extensive use in the medical and pharmaceutical fields due to the high biocompatibility given by their high water content. The hydrogel ability to absorb water also makes it interesting for radiation shielding applications in space, since a high hydrogen content is helpful to reduce the damage caused by ionizing radiation on astronauts and electronic devices. In this work, crosslinked hydrogels are prepared using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with boric acid (BA) as crosslinking agent. Results in terms of chemical composition from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, mechanical properties from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and swelling behavior are used to assess the BA capacity to form hydrogen and chemical bonds with the PVA macromolecules.