Defining the Conformation of Water-Soluble Poly(vinyl alcohol) in Solution: A SAXS, DLS, and AFM Study

This study examines the conformation of soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in aqueous solution using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The focus is on PVA grades used in industrial water-soluble detergent films, comparing their behavior to nanometer-sized polystyrene (PS) beads. SAXS analysis indicates that soluble PVA chains adopt a single molecule random Gaussian coil conformation with a radius of gyration (Rg) of approximately 14 nm, consistent across various grades, dissolution temperatures, and water hardness. DLS corroborates this single-molecule behavior, and AFM imaging confirms separated PVA chains. SAXS, DLS, and AFM collectively enhance understanding of PVA’s behavior in solution. They provide distinguishing features (e.g., SAXS form factors, q–4 decay, q–2 decay; SAXS- and DLS-derived Rg/Rh ratio, AFM images) to aid in visualizing and differentiating between water-soluble polymers and micro- or nanoplastic polymers, which exhibit a hard interface. The study concludes that soluble PVA grades used in the detergent films maintain a stable single molecular chain conformation in water with a nonsolid interface, hence very different from known microplastics. This study also provides a basis for a methodology to differentiate the behavior of water-soluble polymers from microplastics.