Preparation and characterization of water‐swellable natural rubbers

Water‐swellable rubbers were prepared by dispersing the superabsorbent polymer particles, sodium polyacrylate particles, in natural rubber, and their water absorption properties were investigated. Sodium polyacrylate particles were synthesized using the inverse suspension polymerization technique, and their thermal and water absorption properties were characterized. The equilibrium water uptake in sodium polyacrylate particles was strongly dependent on both the salt concentration of aqueous media and crosslinking density of polymer. The dynamic and equilibrium water‐swelling behavior of the prepared rubbers were significantly affected by addition of carbon black, hydrophilic polymer, and coupling agent. Those effects were well explained by microphotographic morphologies obtained using a scanning electron microscope. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 115–121, 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of functionalized acrylic‐acrylamide‐based superabsorbent gels

We have synthesized series of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) by solution free radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM) with different functional monomers (FM). Three functional monomers including zwitterionic monomer [3‐(methacryloylamino) propyl] dimethyl (3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium (MPDSA), cationic monomer (3‐acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC) and anionic monomer 2‐acrylamidoglycolic acid monohydrate (AGAM) were selected to provide different charged groups on the superabsorbents. The effect of reaction parameters, such as degree of neutralization, content of initiator and crosslinker on the swelling capacity were assessed. The water absorbency of the superabsorbent were characterized in the distilled water, 0.9 wt % NaCl solution and the mixed solution containing 60 mg L^?1 CaCl₂ and 30 mg L^?1 MgCl₂, respectively. In addition, the swelling rate and water retention capacity in the soil were also investigated. Finally, the mechanism of different absorbency induced by the variety kinds of functional monomers was studied by XPS and FTIR, and tentative interpretation was presented as well. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

可生物降解PBS包膜尿素缓释肥料的制备与性能研究

研究可生物降解PBS包膜尿素缓释肥料的制备与性能。以可生物降解PBS为包膜材料,通过循环流化床工艺制备PBS包膜尿素缓释肥料,经过对制备工艺进行优化,确定包膜剂PBS质量分数为5%、二次流化时间为20 min、包膜率为10%的PBS包膜尿素具有良好的缓释效果,其初期释放率为10%,第28天时累积释放率为72%,基本符合缓释肥料标准。     

Application of polysaccharide hydrogels in adsorption and controlled‐extended release of fertilizers processes

This article studied the applicability of poly(acrylamide) and methylcellulose (PAAm‐MC) hydrogels as potential delivery vehicle for the controlled‐extended release of ammonium sulfate (NH₄)₂SO₄ and potassium phosphate (KH₂PO₄) fertilizers. PAAm‐MC hydrogels with different acrylamide (AAm) and MC concentrations were prepared by a free radical polymerization method. The adsorption and desorption kinetics of fertilizers were determined using conductivity measurements based on previously built analytical curve. The addition of MC in the PAAm chains increased the quantities of (NH₄)₂SO₄ and KH₂PO₄ loaded and extended the time and quantities of fertilizers released. Coherently, both loading and releasing processes were strongly influenced by hydrophilic properties of hydrogels (AAm/MC mass proportion). The best sorption (124.0 mg KH₂PO₄/g hydrogel and 58.0 mg (NH₄)₂SO₄/g hydrogel) and desorption (54.9 mg KH₂PO₄/g hydrogel and 49.5 mg (NH₄)₂SO₄/g hydrogel) properties were observed for 6.0% AAm–1.0% MC hydrogels (AAm/MC mass proportion equal 6), indicating that these hydrogels are potentially viable to be used in controlled‐extended release of fertilizers systems. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Biologically active polymer: controlled‐release formulations based on Hymexazol

3‐(2‐Hydroxyethoxy)‐5‐methylisoxazole ( 2 ) was prepared by the reaction of 3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole ( 1 ) with 2‐ethylene chlorohydrin. It reacted with methacryloyl chloride to afford 2‐[3‐(5‐methylisoxazolyl)oxy]ethyl methacrylate ( 4 ). The compounds 2 and 4 were confirmed structurally by IR, MASS and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and MS. The fungicidal effects of 2 and 4 were investigated. Compound 4 was subjected to radical copolymerization with acrylamide and formed a copolymer 5 . It would release the active agent 2 in a reasonable amount by a hydrolysis process. The release rates of the compound 2 were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under different pH conditions. The results indicate that the copolymer 5 is potentially useful for the development of the chemically controlled‐released formulations of Hymexazol. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,characterization and application of poly[(1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone)‐co‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)] as controlled‐release polymeric system for 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic chloride using an ultrafiltration technique

BACKGROUND: Polymers supporting chemicals used in agriculture have recently been developed to overcome the serious environmental problems of conventional agrochemicals. The success of these formulations is based on a suitable choice of polymer support. Degradable polymeric hydrogels are of particular interest. The gradual release of the bioactive agent can be achieved by hydrolytic or enzymatic cleavage of the linking bond. RESULTS: In this context, poly[(1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone)‐co‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)] [poly(NVP‐co‐HEMA)] has been used as a bioactive carrier reagent. Herein, we report a controlled‐release system with the herbicide 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D) using an ultrafiltration system. Hydrolysis was studied by testing the release at various pH values. A high release with poly(NVP‐co‐HEMA)–2,4‐D was observed at pH = 7 and 10 after two days (Z = 2). The release percentage of copolymer–herbicide increased at pH = 10. It showed release values between 79.0 and 94.5%. Poly(NVP‐co‐HEMA)–herbicide can release a bioactive compound in aqueous solution at pH = 3, 7 and 10. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of homogeneous hydrolysis, it is argued that the herbicide release rate depends on the pH of the reaction environment. This functional polymer could be employed as a biodegradable material for applications in agrichemical release. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Use of vinasse to produce slow‐release coated urea in spouted bed

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of the operating conditions on the coating efficiency for urea coated in a spouted bed and to analyse the decrease of nitrogen volatilisation for the coated urea. Coating efficiencies in the range (from 44.24% to 73.7%) were obtained for the different process conditions applied. Volatilisation analyses showed that the polymer film coating provided a decrease of the nitrogen loss in the range from 3% to 57%. The use of vinasse in substitution to the water in the coating suspension was tested for the optimum process conditions. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Preparation and evaluation of chitosan‐coated polyphosphazene hydrogel beads for drug controlled release

Chitosan‐coated polyphosphazene‐Ca²⁺ hydrogel beads were fabricated by dropping polyphosphazene into CaCl₂/chitosan gelling solution. Polyphosphazene used here was a water‐soluble degradable polyanion (PCPAP), which carried almost two carboxylatophenamino groups on each phosphorus atom of the polymer backbone. Two kinds of turbidimetric titration were applied in this study to reveal the interaction between PCPAP and chitosan within the pH range of 4.57≈7.14. The effect of gelling solution pH on the properties of chitosan‐coated PCPAP beads was especially emphasized. It was found that the PCPAP/chitosan complex prepared at relatively high pH (pH 6.5) dissociated most slowly in pH 7.4 phosphate‐buffered solution (PBS). The erosion of chitosan‐coated beads and the release of model drug (Coomassie brilliant blue and myoglobin) in PBS were both obviously prolonged with the increase of gelling solution pH, exhibiting perfect accordance with the behavior of complex dissociation. In addition, the coating of PCPAP/chitosan complex on the bead surface facilitated the improvement of drug loading efficiency. The higher the gelling solution pH, the more the drug loading efficiency improved. At pH 6.5 (PCPAP 5%, CaCl₂ 7%, chitosan 0.3%), the loading efficiency of myoglobin in beads reached as high as 93.2%. These results indicate that the chitosan‐coated polyphosphazene‐ Ca²⁺ bead is a potential formulation for drug controlled release. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1993–1999, 2004     

Nitrogen release from polyolefin-coated urea with attention to individual weights

Nitrogen release from individual granules of polyolefin-coated urea (POCU) was studied in order to evaluate a variation in N release. Individual granules were immersed in 10 ml water at 25°C for 7 and 20 d. Individual granules of POCU had different weights and N release rates. An increase in the individual weights of POCU led to a decrease in the N release for both incubation periods. This relationship between the N release and individual weights may be related to the coating thickness.     

Preparation,characterization and release profiles of pH‐sensitive chitosan beads

Spherical crosslinked beads using chitosan, glycine and glutaraldehyde were prepared for controlled release formulations. Structural investigation of the beads was made with IR analysis. Morphological study of the beads was carried out by scanning electron microscopy. The swelling behaviour of the beads was monitored as a function of time in solutions of different pH. The release experiments were performed using thiamine hydrochloride (Thi‐HCl) as a model drug. These preliminary results suggest the possibility of modifying the formulations to obtain the desired controlled release of drug in an oral sustained delivery system. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Granular urea‐formaldehyde slow‐release fertilizer with superabsorbent and moisture preservation

To improve the utilization of fertilizer and water resource at the same time, a new type of slow‐release fertilizer with superabsorbent and moisture preservation was developed, with the combination of slow‐release technique and superabsorbent polymers. The coatings were formed by the inverse phase polymerization technique. The element analysis results showed that the product contained 22.58% nitrogen element, and the water absorbency of the product was 94 times its own weight if it was allowed to swell in tap water at room temperature for 2 h. The results of the slow‐release behavior of N and the water absorbency and retention properties in soil showed that the product not only had good slow‐release property but also had excellent water absorbency and water retention capacity, which was a significant advantage over the normal slow‐release or controlled‐release fertilizers. The effects of the amount of initiator, crosslinker, reaction time, and the degree of neutralization of acrylic acid on water absorbency were investigated and optimized. At the same, a rather new and simple method was used to make homogeneous urea‐formaldehyde granules. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 3230–3235, 2006     

Preparation of poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide)/kaolin and release kinetics of urea from it

A series of poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide)/kaolin [poly(AA‐co‐Am)/kaolin] composites were prepared by aqueous solution copolymerization of partially neutralized acrylic acid and acrylamide in the presence of kaolin nanopowder, which was synthesized to act as a release carrier of urea fertilizer. The superabsorbent composite was swollen in aqueous solution of urea to load urea, and the effect of urea concentration on the swelling was investigated. Furthermore, the effects of the contents of crosslinker, kaolin, and acrylamide, the neutralization degree of acrylic acid, and temperature, pH, and ionic strength of release medium on water absorbency and diffusion coefficient of urea release from poly(AA‐co‐Am)/kaolin were studied systematically. It was found that urea loading percentage could be adjusted by urea concentration of swelling medium, and urea diffusion coefficient could be regulated through the contents of crosslinker, kaolin, and acrylamide, and the neutralization degree of acrylic acid. Additionally, temperature and ionic strength of release medium may also affect the urea release process. The conclusions obtained could provide theoretical basis for urea diffusion behavior in superabsorbent used in agriculture. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Preparation and water absorbency of a novel poly(acrylate‐co‐acrylamide)/vermiculite superabsorbent composite

A novel poly(acrylate‐co‐acrylamide)/expanded vermiculite (EVMT) superabsorbent composite was synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization method. The water absorbency of the superabsorbent composite still reaches 850 g/g when 50 wt % EVMT is added, which is significant in decreasing the production cost of the superabsorbent composites. By controlling the molar ratio of acrylic acid monomer and acrylamide monomer, and neutralization degree of acrylic acid, the hydrophilic groups on the composite can be adjusted, and it is found that the collaborative absorbent effect of ? CONH₂, ? COOK, and ? COOH groups is superior to that of single ? CONH₂, ? COOK, or ? COOH group. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 735–739, 2007     

可生物降解PBAT包膜尿素缓释肥料的制备与性能研究

以可生物降解PBAT为包膜材料,通过循环流化床工艺制备一系列PBAT包膜尿素缓释肥料,并对制备工艺进行了优化;通过扫描电镜观察包膜肥料表面形态特征,分析缺陷形成原因;通过水中静置法测试PBAT包膜尿素缓释肥料的缓释性能,测定缓释曲线,样品的初期释放率为20%~50%,第28天的累积释放率为70%~90%。     

Preparation of superabsorbent slow release nitrogen fertilizer by inverse suspension polymerization

A superabsorbent, slow release nitrogen fertilizer (SSRNF) was prepared by inverse suspension polymerization of partially neutralized acrylic acid using N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate as an initiator in the presence of urea. The polymer was characterized using infrared spectral analysis, and network structural parameters such as molecular weight between crosslinks (M_c) and crosslink density (q) were calculated. The effects of reaction conditions, such as reaction time, reaction temperature, initiator, crosslinker and the degree of neutralization of acrylic acid, on water absorbency were investigated. The nitrogen content of SSRNF synthesized under optimal conditions was 22.7%, and the water absorbencies were about 965 g g^?1 in distilled water and 185 g g^?1 in tap water. The nitrogen slow release behaviors of the SSRNF in water and water retention capacity of soil with the SSRNF were also investigated. A possible slow release mechanism was proposed and the release rate constant K and the diffusion coefficient D of urea in the hydrogel was calculated. The results showed that the product not only had good slow release properties but also excellent soil moisture preservation capacity, which could effectively improve the utilization of fertilizer and water resources simultaneously. Therefore, the SSRNF is a multifunctional water managing material, which would find application in agriculture and horticulture, especially in drought‐prone areas where the availability of water is limited. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

包膜缓控释肥料用包膜材料的探讨

简要介绍关于目前国内外缓控释肥料的生产及包膜缓控释肥料生产用包膜材料的种类和特点;阐述开发利用缓效、长效肥料,特别是水溶性低的肥料为速溶、速效性肥料的缓控释包膜材料,采用“以肥包肥”缓控释技术的必要性及取得的成果.     

Preparation and characterization of chitosan‐based dispersions

Complexation of chitosan in aqueous solutions by low molecular weight electrolytes is one of the simplest methods for the preparation of aqueous chitosan dispersions. In this work, the influence of storage time, sulfate concentration, method of preparation and surfactant content on some properties of the resultant chitosan dispersions (turbidity, viscosity and zeta potential) was analyzed. Turbidimetry was adequate to monitor the formation of particles, while viscometry was suitable to monitor changes in the dispersing phase. An analysis of the properties of these systems, mainly in terms of particle–particle and macromolecule–macromolecule interactions was carried out. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and Swelling Behavior of Fast‐Swelling Superabsorbent Hydrogels Based On Starch‐g‐Poly(acrylic acid‐co‐sodium acrylate)

Summary: A novel fast‐swelling porous superabsorbent hydrogel was prepared by grafting acrylic acid onto corn starch through free‐radical polymerization in aqueous solution using N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker, ammonium persulfate as an initiator, sodium dodecyl sulfate and p‐octyl poly(ethylene glycol)phenyl ether as pore‐forming agents. The graft polymerization and surface morphology of the porous superabsorbents were characterized by FTIR and SEM. The results indicate that the porous superabsorbents were endowed with higher equilibrium water absorbency and faster swelling rate (they needed only 10 min to reach 90% of their equilibrium water absorbency) compared with the nonporous superabsorbents. The dewatering method employed had a significant influence on the swelling behavior of the superabsorbents and dewatering agents were useful to preserve the pores formed during the polymerization process.

The equilibrium water absorbency in distilled water, for the porous and non‐porous starch‐g‐poly(acrylic acid‐co‐sodium acrylate) superabsorbent hydrogels dried through different procedures.     

Recycling of pharmaceutical waste gelatin for controlled‐release applications. I. A 2,4‐dicholorphenoxy acetic acid based system

Gelatin is a natural macromolecular protein. It contains a wide variety of amino acids in its polymer structure, and it is colorless to yellowish, water‐soluble, and tasteless. It is used as a dispersing agent, sizing medium, and coating for photographic films and in pharmaceutical formulations. In this study, biodegradable mulching, based on waste gelatin from pharmaceutical gelatin scraps (derived from pharmaceutical soft gelatin capsule production), was formulated via the casting of water solutions or suspensions into flexible and consistent films. Gelatin was blended with synthetic materials such as poly(vinyl alcohol) and other natural wastes such as sugar cane bagasse and sawdust. To all formulations, 2,4‐dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4‐D) was added as a herbicide. The morphology and mechanical properties of the samples were investigated with scanning electron microscopy and tensile testing, respectively. The results showed that the produced films had controlled‐release properties. The effects of various additives and crosslinking on the films and the release of the herbicide 2,4‐D from the films were also investigated. The introduction of synthetic and natural additives reduced the release rate of 2,4‐D. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2313–2319, 2004