Effect of Gamma Radiation on the Chemical and Physical Properties of Plasticised Carboxymethyl Cellulose (Cc) / Poly (vinyl alcohol)(Pva) Polymer Blend

The chemical and physical properties of plasticizer carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/ poly (vinylalcohol)(PVA) polymer blend before and after exposure to gamma ray were investigated by means of mechanical properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was found that addition of plasticizer causes a significant increase in elongation at break and causes a marked drop in thermal stability. Thus, the addition of glycerol cause a significant decrease in glass transition temperature(Tg) of about 24 degree from the initial value. The morphological structure of plasticised blend was investigated by observation of fracture surfaces using SEM. The plasticised blend was used for recovery of some heavy metals from their salts such as Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II). It was found that plasticised blend have a great ability for absorbing these metals and it is measured by compleximetric titration and colour strength measurements