Study of the Effect of Gamma Irradiation on the Mechanical Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Gelatin Blend Film

Blend film of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based gelatin was prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of both samples. The mixed aqueous solutions of both samples in different ratios (P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5) were then cast onto silicon paper covered glass plate to form film. These films were then irradiated under gamma radiation (60Co) with different intensities (total dose) like 50, 100, 150, 250 and 500 krad to investigate the irradiation effect on the mechanical properties of these films. It was found that, due to incorporating radiation, the tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (Eb) were improved up to some radiation doses and then again decreased. The highest TS (32 MPa) for blends was observed for 5% gelatin containing PVA film at 50 krad which was 19% higher than that of non-irradiated blend and the highest Eb (165%) was found for 10% gelatin containing PVA film at 100 krad. FTIR spectra of the pure and blend films were taken for structural characterization. Morphological investigation of the films was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis.