O. N. Tretinnikov*, S. A. Zagorskaya, and N. I. Sushko
Stepanov Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, pr. Nezavisimosti 68, 220072 Minsk, Belarus
*e-mail: o.tretinnikov@ifanbel.bas-net.by
Received June 6, 2013;
Revised Manuscript Received November 9, 2013
Abstract—The crystallinity of poly(vinyl alcohol) in the bulk and on the surface of cryogels of this polymer
prepared in the form of thick disks from solutions in pure water and in water containing potassium chloride is
studied via attenuation total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy. The crystallinity values of the upper and lower sur-
faces of the samples are found from the attenuation total reflectance IR spectra of these surfaces. To determine
the crystallinity in the bulk, a sample is cut in half in the middle of its thickness to measure the spectrum of the
cut surface. It is found that, in the bulk of a salt-free cryogel, the content of the crystalline phase of the polymer
is significantly higher (by a factor of 1.5) than that on the surface. Addition of a salt increases the degree of
crystallinity in the bulk and does not change the crystallinity of the surface. Cryogelation mechanisms explain-
ing the increased crystallinity in the bulk of the cryogel and the crystallizing effect of the salt additive are pro-
posed.
DOI: 10.1134/S0965545X14030171
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