The curing of the concrete is to maintain a satisfactory moisture content in the concrete in its initial stages in order to develop the desired properties. However, good curing is not always practical and often neglected in many cases. Several researchers asked the question of whether there will be self-cured concrete. Therefore, the need to develop self-curing agents attracted several researchers. The concept of self-curing agents is to reduce the evaporation of water from the concrete and thus increase the water holding capacity of the concrete compared to conventional concrete. It was found that the water-soluble alcohols can be used as self-curing agents in the concrete. The use of self-adherent additives is very important from the point of view that water resources are being used every day (that is, every 1m3 of concrete requires approximately 3m3 of water for construction, most of which is to be cured) . The benefit of self-cured additives is most significant in desert areas (eg, Rajasthan) where water is not adequately available.
Polyvinyl alcohol is commercially produced from polyvinyl acetate, usually by a continuous process. The acetate groups are hydrolyzed by ester exchange with methanol in the presence of anhydrous sodium methylate or aqueous sodium hydroxide. Polyvinyl alcohol is an odourless, tasteless, translucent, white or cream-colored granular powder. Polyvinyl alcohol contains two OH groups. Helps to retain concrete water. It is soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, but insoluble in other organic solvents. Typically, a 5% solution of polyvinyl alcohol has a pH in the range of 5.0 to 6.5. The polyvinyl alcohol has a melting point of 180 to 190 ° C.