Synthesis of Composite Hydrogel Made of Woven Fabrics Stitched with PVA Yarn

In this study, a new method to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel-based woven fabric composite is presented. In this method, the woven fabric was first stitched with PVA yarn and then subjected to the borax solution for simultaneously dissolving and crosslinking PVA. The prepared PVA hydrogel-based woven fabric composite was chemically, mechanically, and thermally characterized. FTIR analysis was performed to confirm the crosslinking of PVA on the reinforced fabric surface. X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out to investigate the crystallinity of the composite. An optical microscope was used to investigate the surface morphology of the composites. Moreover, a DSC analysis was done to investigate the thermal characteristics of the composite. The mechanical and fluid absorbency characteristics of the composite were analyzed to investigate the effect of the concentration of PVA yarn on the tensile strength and water absorbency of composites. The results showed that the tensile strength and rigidity of the composite increased by increasing the PVA yarn content in the composite.