Preparation of PVC/EVA Gloves with Moisture Permeability by Wettability Gradient

Abstract The common polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gloves affect moisture and air permeability due to their dense nature, affecting the wearing comfort. Inspired by moisture‐permeable fabrics, this study was conducted to enhance the moisture permeability of PVC/EVA membranes by introducing ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) blended with PVC to form a membrane and coating one side of the membrane with a polyacrylate water repellent. The experimental results showed that the water contact angle of the upper (85°) and lower surfaces (99.4°) of the PVC/EVA membrane produced a significant difference. This difference endows the membrane with different wettability.The water vapor transmission of the membranes increased from the initial 163.25 g/m 2 ·24h to 862.9 g/m 2 ·24h. The moisture permeability and thermal conductivity of PVC/EVA membranes were significantly improved. After 30 min in the thermal conductivity test, the temperature of the palm covered with PVC/EVA membranes reached 34.7 °C, which was 0.8 °C higher than that of the palm covered with pure PVC membranes. The SEM images show that the PVC/EVA membrane generated more particles and pores. The results of XRD, TG/DTG, and tensile tests showed that the crystal structure and mechanical strength of the membranes remained unchanged, while their thermal stability improved.