NEW CHITIN-BASED POLYMER HYBRIDS .2. IMPROVED MISCIBILITY OF CHITIN DERIVATIVES HAVING MONODISPERSE POLY(2-METHYL-2-OXAZOLINE) SIDE-CHAINS WITH POLY(VINYL CHLORIDE) AND POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL)

A chitin derivative having monodisperse(1) poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) s ide chains, i.e., chitin-graft-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (1), was exa mined for miscibility with the commodity polymers poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The miscibility of the blends wa s investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning el ectron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) measur ements. Graft copolymer 1 was compatible with PVC when the content of 1 in the blend was up to 40 wt %. Contact angle measurement against wa ter of PVC/1 blend surfaces indicated that the miscibility of the chit in backbone as well as poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) side chains in 1 wit h PVC was so good that the chitin segment would not migrate to the sur faces of the blends. DSC and FT-IR analyses revealed that graft copoly mer 1 was miscible with PVA over the whole composition range.