AbstractPoly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was blended with m‐aramid as an N‐halamine precursor for imparting antimicrobial activity. A series of PVA/m‐aramid blend films were produced with different ratios of PVA/m‐aramid by weight (100/0, 100/2, 100/6, 100/10, and 100/50). The films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The FTIR spectra of the PVA/m‐aramid blends are a combination of the spectra of pure PVA and of pure m‐aramid. However, the peak intensity in the m‐aramid decreases with decreasing m‐aramid content from 50 to 2 wt % in PVA. It implies the compatibility of m‐aramid in the PVA/m‐aramid blend films. Furthermore, a single glass transition temperature (Tg) for all blend films by DSC confirms that PVA/m‐aramid is successfully miscible. The crystallinity of PVA/m‐aramid blend films decreases slightly with increasing m‐aramid content in the blend films. This agrees with the results obtained by WAXD. However, melting point and thermal stability of the blend films increases with increasing m‐aramid content in the blend films. Chlorinated PVA/2% m‐aramid blend film produces about 5.7 log reduction of both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria at 30 min contact, implying sufficient antimicrobial activity. Therefore, PVA/m‐aramid blend films may serve as a novel material for biomedical applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.