Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), a well-known synthetic biodegradable, biocompatible, and hydrophilic polymer is susceptible to several structural modifications, due to the presence of hydroxyl groups in its backbone. PVA was grafted with L(+)-lactic acid (LA) in molar ratios VA/LA (1/1, 1.5/1, and 2.2/1), manganese acetate as catalyst, by solution polycondensation procedure, resulting the poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-lactic acid copolymers. Aqueous solutions of copolymers with glycerol as plasticizer, silver nanoparticles (Ag(o)), and sodium tetraborate as crosslinking agent were used for films casting. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR and (1)H RMN spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, thermal analyses (DTG and DSC), silver particles size, while films were characterized by mechanical properties and mechanodynamic analyses. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 1109-1120, 2011