The rheological behavior of collagen dispersion/poly(vinyl alcohol) blends

Blends of collagen dispersion (COL) with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in different weight ratios were investigated by oscillatory rheometry, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that even with 80% of PVA, the COL/PVA blends behaved more like collagen dispersion than pure PVA solution in the dynamic thermal and frequency processing, for instance, a dominant elastic appearance (G'>G"), a similar shear thinning behavior and the thermal denaturation below 40°C. However, influence on the blend behaviour by PVA was noticeable, for instance, an increase of dynamic denaturation temperature, the decreasing intensity of amide I, II and III bands as well as the diminishing irregular pores on the surface of blends. The interaction between collagen and PVA could be observed, especially at the regions with low content or high content of PVA.