Miscibility studies of polysaccharide Xanthan gum and PEO (polyethylene oxide) in dilute solution

Compatibility of polysaccharide based natural polymer Xanthan gum with synthetic polymer polyethylene oxide have been investigated using viscosity, ultrasonic and refractive index technique in 0.1 M NaCl solution at 30 and 40 °C. Using viscosity data, the interaction parameter μ and α, based on Chee and Sun et al. approaches were determined. The values indicated that the blend is miscible, when the Xanthan gum is 40% (v/v) at both the temperatures. The variation of refractive index and ultrasonic velocity with blend composition also supports the Sun et al approach. FT-IR studies also carried out for further conformation of compatibility.