polyvinyl alcohol

American

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless, water-soluble, thermoplastic resin, derived by the hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate: used chiefly as an adhesive and as a sizing agent in the manufacture of textiles, paper, and plastics.

Etymology

Origin of polyvinyl alcohol

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They blended it with modified starch and bentonite nanoclay, then added glycerol and polyvinyl alcohol to improve durability and flexibility.

From Science Daily

The process involves blending three main components -- carbon nanotubes, polyvinyl alcohol and carboxymethyl cellulose -- followed by freeze-drying.

From Science Daily

To address this issue, the team developed a hybrid porous structure using polyvinyl alcohol, a lightweight polymer with high affinity for lithium ions, combined with single-walled carbon nanotubes and nanocarbon spheres.

From Science Daily

They made metallic glass nanotubes with an average wall thickness of just 20nm, and fabricated nanosheets from different substrates, such as sodium chloride, polyvinyl alcohol and conventional photoresist substrates, with different levels of oxygen concentration.

From Science Daily

The petition urges the agency to require health and environmental safety tests for polyvinyl alcohol, also known as PVA or PVOH, which encases the pods.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023