Engineering Polyvinyl Alcohol-graft-poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-ethyl acrylate) [PVA-g-poly(HEA-co-EA)] Films with Tunable Mechanical, Swelling, and Thermal Properties

In this study, novel polyvinyl alcohol-graft-poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-ethyl acrylate) [PVA-g-poly(HEA-co-EA)] films were synthesized through free-radical graft copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and ethyl acrylate (EA) onto polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator at 75 °C. The effects of thermal treatment and modification conditions on the solubility, swelling behavior, structural characteristics, and physicochemical properties of the resulting films were systematically investigated. The samples were thermally treated at 90 °C for 5–10 h, and their swelling behavior in various solvents was evaluated using the gravimetric method. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of the graft copolymer structure. The synthesized films exhibited pronounced swelling in aqueous media, indicating their potential for biomedical applications, particularly in wound dressing materials. Furthermore, the sorption and release behavior of a model therapeutic agent was studied to assess the drug delivery potential of the films. Kinetic analysis revealed that increasing the EA content enhanced both drug loading and release efficiency. The combination of favorable swelling characteristics, mechanical performance, and controlled drug-release capability demonstrates the potential of HEA-EAPVA graft copolymer films as promising multifunctional materials for biomedical and sustained drug delivery applications.