The polyethylene glycol resin product series consists of white solids available in three physical forms: flocculent, granular, and powdered. These products are non-toxic, odorless, and non-polluting, and are soluble in water at temperatures ranging from 80°C to 90°C. Their aqueous solutions exhibit excellent adhesive and film-forming properties. Furthermore, they demonstrate resistance to most organic solvents-including oils, lubricants, and hydrocarbons-and possess the chemical characteristics of long-chain polyols, such as the capacity for esterification, etherification, and acetalization reactions.
Since free vinyl alcohol is highly unstable and cannot exist independently, the production of practically useful polyethylene glycol typically involves the polymerization of vinyl acetate monomers, followed by alcoholysis or hydrolysis to yield the final polyethylene glycol product.
Vinyl acetate readily undergoes free-radical polymerization reactions when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, gamma rays, X-rays, or similar energy sources. However, under oxygen-free conditions, highly purified vinyl acetate will not polymerize solely through the application of heat; polymerization occurs only in the presence of an initiator, allowing the reaction to proceed under relatively mild conditions. Depending on the intended application of the resulting polyvinyl acetate, various industrial methods are employed for the polymerization of vinyl acetate. Specifically, the polyvinyl acetate used in the manufacture of polyethylene glycol fibers is typically produced via a solvent polymerization process utilizing methanol as the solvent. The final polyethylene glycol resin is then obtained by subjecting this polyvinyl acetate to an alcoholysis reaction in the presence of methanol or sodium hydroxide.