Determination of gel content and SEM morphology for sago-PVA blends film

Blends of polyvinyl alcohol and sago starch have been prepared to evaluate the potential of producing biodegradable products. Glycerol was introduced in the blends to improve the flexibility of the films as plasticizer in order more flexible film. These blends have been subjected to electron beam irradiation to evaluate and characterized radiation effect on the blends. Subsequently films were produced from this blend. The gel content of un-irradiated and irradiated films as evidence of cross linking was measured and discussed. This paper also discuss the films morphology from Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) observation. (Author)