Differential scanning calorimetry of crystallized PVA hydrogels

Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels produced via electron beam irradiation of aqueous PVA solutions were crystallized via a two-stage dehydration-annealing process to produce swollen hydrogels of varying degrees of crystallinity. Evaluation of the degree of crystallinity of these hydrogels was done by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The swollen hydrogels had degrees of crystallinities varying between 30% and 50% depending on the temperature–time history of the specimens.