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Volume 11
Issue 12
10.3390/gels11121020
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Study on the Structure, Thermal Properties and Antibacterial Properties of Phosphorus-Modified PVA/TiO2 Composite Films

by
Alina-Mirela Ipate
1,*,
Diana Serbezeanu
1,
Ioana-Antonia Iftimie
1,
Gabriela Lisa
2,
Cristina-Mihaela Rîmbu
3 and
Tăchiță Vlad-Bubulac
1,*
1
“Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, Bd. Mangeron 73, 700050 Iasi, Romania
3
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine “Ion Ionescu de la Brad”, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 8, Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 707027 Iasi, Romania
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Gels 2025, 11(12), 1020; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11121020
Submission received: 30 November 2025 / Revised: 16 December 2025 / Accepted: 17 December 2025 / Published: 18 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gel Films (2nd Edition))
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Abstract

Phosphorus-modified poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has recently gained increasing attention as a functional polymeric matrix suitable for gel-based systems, owing to its biocompatibility, film-forming ability, and capacity to develop semi-interpenetrating networks. In this work, PVA was chemically modified through the nucleophilic substitution of its hydroxyl groups with the chloride groups of phenyl dichlorophosphate, following a literature-reported method carried out in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as reaction medium, resulting in phosphorus-containing PVA networks (PVA-OP3). Hybrid gel-like films were then prepared by incorporating titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), known for their antimicrobial activity, low toxicity, and high stability. The resulting composites were structurally, morphologically, and thermally characterized using FTIR, SEM, and thermogravimetric analysis. The incorporation of TiO2 NPs significantly improved the thermal stability, with T5% increasing from 240 °C for neat PVA-OP3 to 288 °C for the optimal composite, increased the char residue from 4.5% for the neat polymer to 30.1% for PVA-OP3/TiO2-4, and enhanced antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These findings demonstrate that PVA-OP3/TiO2 hybrid films possess promising potential as advanced biomaterials for biomedical, protective, and environmental applications.
Keywords: phosphorylated PVA; TiO2 NPs; hybrid composites; thermal stability; antimicrobial activity phosphorylated PVA; TiO2 NPs; hybrid composites; thermal stability; antimicrobial activity
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MDPI and ACS Style

Ipate, A.-M.; Serbezeanu, D.; Iftimie, I.-A.; Lisa, G.; Rîmbu, C.-M.; Vlad-Bubulac, T. Study on the Structure, Thermal Properties and Antibacterial Properties of Phosphorus-Modified PVA/TiO2 Composite Films. Gels 2025, 11, 1020. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11121020

AMA Style

Ipate A-M, Serbezeanu D, Iftimie I-A, Lisa G, Rîmbu C-M, Vlad-Bubulac T. Study on the Structure, Thermal Properties and Antibacterial Properties of Phosphorus-Modified PVA/TiO2 Composite Films. Gels. 2025; 11(12):1020. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11121020

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ipate, Alina-Mirela, Diana Serbezeanu, Ioana-Antonia Iftimie, Gabriela Lisa, Cristina-Mihaela Rîmbu, and Tăchiță Vlad-Bubulac. 2025. "Study on the Structure, Thermal Properties and Antibacterial Properties of Phosphorus-Modified PVA/TiO2 Composite Films" Gels 11, no. 12: 1020. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11121020

APA Style

Ipate, A.-M., Serbezeanu, D., Iftimie, I.-A., Lisa, G., Rîmbu, C.-M., & Vlad-Bubulac, T. (2025). Study on the Structure, Thermal Properties and Antibacterial Properties of Phosphorus-Modified PVA/TiO2 Composite Films. Gels, 11(12), 1020. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11121020

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