Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH)

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH)

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) is a water-soluble polymer, sold in both fully and partially hydrolyzed forms. Its properties vary depending on the molecular weight (degree of polymerization) and the fraction of acetate groups that are removed (degree of hydrolysis). Fully hydrolyzed grades of PVOH have about 98–99% of their acetate groups hydrolyzed, intermediate grades between 91–97%, and partially hydrolyzed grades about 88%. Another major application involves converting PVOH to polyvinyl butyral (PVB), which is used as a coating to generate laminated safety glass for automotive and architectural applications.