Physicochemical factors affecting the mechanical properties of surfactant–polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel

Recently, new cleaning products based on polymer–surfactant platforms have captured the attention of the industry, thanks to their good mechanical strength and excellent solubility. In this study, surfactant–polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels using glycerin as a cross-linking agent were prepared to investigate which factors affect the mechanical properties of the dried films. The mixed gels were prepared and dried to approximately 15% moisture content through heat conduction using an aluminum alloy plate. The mechanical analysis was performed using a Material Testing System (MTS). Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to obtain phase structure of the samples, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for microstructure analysis. The data from this study suggest that crystallinity of PVA affects the mechanical properties of the surfactant–PVA hydrogel. The liquid crystallinity is the main influencing factor of hydrogel flexibility and can be modified via surfactant compounding. Furthermore, a novel hypothesis for the adsorption of surfactant is also proposed, with the purpose of probing the interaction between polyvinyl alcohol and surfactant from a molecular perspective.