Hydrogen Bonding Effect on γ-Ray Irradiated Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels in Different Drying Conditions

Three-dimensional network hydrogels were prepared by ${\gamma}$-irradiation of aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and glycerol (Gly). Oven-drying was used to measure the gel fraction (G), hydration (H) or swelling behavior (S) of the prepared hydrogels. This study made a hypothesis that hydrogen bonds due to addition of glycerol and change of dry states such as freeze-drying (FD), room-drying (RD) and oven-drying (OD) acts on the G, H, and S. Interesting results on the hydrogen bonding effect in the prepared hydrogels are monitored at different drying conditions. The FD samples have a higher G values with increase in glycerol content as compared with the OD and RD samples. The formation of strong hydrogen bonding network among Gly molecules and hydrogel matrix was considered as the main driving force, resulting in the changes in the G, H, and S of the hydrogels under different drying conditions.