Abstract: | Maleic acid (MA) crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membrane is prepared using a high temperature esterification reaction between PVA and MA in the presence of sulfuric acid as a catalyst. The crosslinking reaction mechanism is investigated using FT IR spectral analysis. The results indicate that maleic acid reacts with hydroxyl groups in PVA to form mono and bis ester in a two step process. |