Difference Between PVA and PVC

The key difference between PVA and PVC is that the functional group of PVA material is an alcohol group, whereas the functional group of PVC material is a halide group.

The term PVA stands for polyvinyl alcohol polymer material while the term PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride polymer material. These materials contain a large number of repeating units having functional groups that give these polymers their specific properties.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is PVA
3. What is PVC
4. Side by Side Comparison – PVA vs PVC in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is PVA?

PVA is polyvinyl alcohol. It is a water-soluble synthetic polymer material. This material is useful in papermaking, textile wrap sizing, as a thickening agent, and as an emulsion stabilizer. There are many other common names for this material, including Vinol, Alvyl, Mowiol, Lemol, Alcotex, and Elvanol.

We can observe PVA material as an atactic polymer material which exhibits crystalline nature. In its microstructure, the material is composed of 1,3-diol linkages and a few percent of 1,2-diol linkages. The occurrence of these linkages depends on the conditions we use for the polymerization process of the vinyl ester precursor.

Figure 01: General Formula of PVA Polymer

Moreover, this material has an excellent film-forming property, emulsifying properties, and adhesive properties. In addition to those, this material is resistant to oil, grease, and solvents. Furthermore, PVA has high tensile strength, and flexibility, which are properties dependent on humidity. If the humidity is high, then the polymer’s tensile strength reduces but the elongation and tear strength increases.

What is PVC?

PVC is a polymer consisting of polyvinyl chloride. It is a thermoplastic polymer made of chloroethene monomers. PVC is a very common polymer. There are two groups of PVC as the rigid form and the flexible form. The rigid PVC material is important in construction needs, whereas the flexible PVC form is used for wiring and cables.

Figure 02: General Formula of PVC Polymer

There are three major steps in the production of PVC. The first step involves the conversion of ethane into 1,2-dichloroethane. This step is performed via chlorination. The second step of PVC production is cracking of 1,2-dichloroethane into chloroethene, along with the elimination of an HCl molecule. The third and final step of PVC production is the polymerization process of chloroethene in order to produce PVC via free radical polymerization process.

PVC has several notable properties, including high hardness and beneficial machinery properties, poor heat stability, good flame retardancy, high electrical insulation, and chemical resistance. Moreover, there are many benefits to using PVC. For example, it is readily available in the market, and it’s a cheap material with good tensile strength. Besides, this material is also resistant to chemicals such as acids and bases.

What is the Difference Between PVA and PVC?

The term PVA stands for polyvinyl alcohol polymer material while the term PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride polymer material. The key difference between PVA and PVC is that the functional group of PVA material is an alcohol group, whereas the functional group of PVC material is a halide group. Moreover, PVA is used in papermaking, textile wrap sizing, as a thickening agent, and as an emulsion stabilizer, while PVC is used in the manufacture of pipes, electric cables, construction needs, clothing, flooring, wire rope production, etc.

Below info-graphic summarizes the differences between PVA and PVC in tabular form.

Summary – PVA vs PVC

Reference:

1. “Polyvinyl Alcohol.” Polyvinyl Alcohol – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Polyvinyl Alcohol Structural Formula V1” By NEUROtiker – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Polyvinylchlorid” By Jü – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia