An investigation of aging aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions by the light scattering method

Aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions of various concentrations were investigated. The aged solutions were diluted and then analyzed by the light scattering method, size exclusion chromatography, and viscometry. It was found that a relatively small quantity of supermolecular formations arise during aging; they are dispersed in the molecular solution of the predominant part of the polymeric material present. The amount of these aggregated structures and their formation rate increase with concentration of the aging solution.