Physical behavior of membrane blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) doped with different weight percentage (wt %) of algal glycerol is reported. Solid-state PVA/glycerol membranes were prepared by the solution casting method. Electrical impedance measurements were conducted to test the effect of varying the percentage of glycerol on the conductivity of the membranes. The measurements were made in the frequency and temperature ranges 1 Hz-1 MHz and 303-423 K, respectively. It was observed that the ionic conductivity increased with the increase of glycerol concentration as well as temperature. The thermal properties of the films were characterized. It was found that the thermal properties, particularly the melting point (T-m), for PVA blends exhibit a reduced value proportional to the algal glycerol content. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to evaluate the interactions between the glycerol and PVA. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4482-4489, 2013