Microstructural Parameters of Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose Films Using X-ray Data

The changes in microstructural parameters of edible polymer films of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) with plasticizers such as glycerol (GLY) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been studied using wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) data and line profile analysis (LPA). Exponential function for the column length distribution has been used for the determination of microstructural parameters. The crystal imperfection parameters such as crystal size , lattice strain %(g) and orientational parameters have been computed and correlated with the amount of plasticizers. Comparison of orientational parameter with increase in plasticizers suggests that there is increase in the orientation in HPMC films. The flexibility of the films is expected to increase due to decrease in the number of weak inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds with the addition of plasticizers. From these investigations it is also observed that there is increase in unit cell volume with increase in the plasticizers in HPMC films indicating greater stability of the blends which are essential in packing industry.