Effect of electron beam irradiation on the structural properties of PVA/V(2)O(5) xerogel.

Poly(vinylalcohol) (PVA)/vanadium pentoxide xerogel (VXG) composites were prepared and exposed to different electron beam irradiation doses. Changes in the structural properties, crystallinity degree of composites with increasing irradiation doses and VXG content were subsequently investigated using the Fourier transformer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The crystallinity degree of the PVA matrix was found to decrease markedly due to VXG addition and/or irradiation process.