Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) solutions irradiated with microwaves: study and analysis of their possible degradation

Abstract

Poly(vinyl pyrrolydone) (PVP) dissolved in ethylene glycol and water were exposed to microwave irradiation and conventional heating for 1 hour with the purpose to determine their possible degradation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and viscosity measurement were used as characterization techniques. FTIR shows that microwave treatment produces a minor effect on the solutions. UV-vis reinforces the negligible affectation that PVP experienced whereas the viscosity experiments indicated that microwave irradiation did not cause significant changes in the polymer molar mass and neither chain cleavage nor crosslinking reactions were present.