Synthesis of superabsorbent copolymers as water manageable materials

Strongly water‐absorbing polymers based on the monomers acrylamide, potassium acrylate and magnesium methacrylate were prepared by copolymerization using ammonium persulfate as initiator and N,N‐methylene‐bisacrylamide (MBA) as crosslinking agent. The copolymers are synthesized by varying monomer, crosslinker and initiator concentrations. The experimental results shows that superabsorbents (SAPs) have good absorbency both in water and NaCl solutions. The copolymers are characterized by IR spectroscopy. Water retention in soil is enhanced by use of these superabsorbents. The SAPs use for the growth of sunflower plants is also investigated. The water retention capacity of the SAPs was carried out at 60 °C and 100 °C. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Design and synthesis of superabsorbent polymers

A series of novel copolymer superabsorbents based on the monomers acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA), acrylonitrile, methacrylic acid, sodium acrylate (SA), and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were prepared by copolymerization using ammonium persulfate as an initiator and N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinking agent. The experimental results of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) show that the absorbency in water and NaCl solutions is maximum for AM, SA, HEMA and AM, AA, SA combinations. The copolymers were characterized by IR spectroscopy. The water retention of soil was also enhanced using the above superabsorbents. Use of SAPs for the growth of the croton plant was also investigated. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 2635–2639, 2001     

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     

Studies on poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite superabsorbent composite. I. Synthesis and characterization

A novel poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite superabsorbent composite was synthesized by graft copolymerization reaction of acrylic acid (AA) on attapulgite micropowder using N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator in aqueous solution. The effects on water absorbency of such factors as reaction temperature, initial monomer concentration, degree of neutralization of AA, amount of crosslinker, initiator, and attapulgite were investigated. These crosslinked superabsorbent composites were characterized by thermogravimetetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The graft copolymerization reaction of AA on attapulgite micropowder was characterized by FTIR. The water absorbencies for these superabsorbent composites in water and saline solutions were investigated and water‐retention tests were carried out. Results obtained from this study show that the water absorbency of the superabsorbent composite synthesized under optimal synthesis conditions with an attapulgite content of 10% exhibited an absorption of 1017 g H₂O/g sample and 77 g H₂O/g sample in distilled water and in 0.9 wt % NaCl solution, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1596–1603, 2004     

Synthesis and evaluation of trimethylolpropane triacrylate crosslinked superabsorbent polymers for conserving water and fertilizers

A series of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) were synthesized by free radical thermal copolymerization of acrylic acid and N‐isopropyl acrylamide monomers using trimethylolpropane triacrylate as crosslinker. They were characterized by FT‐IR and thermal stability (TGA/DTG), and evaluated for their water and fertilizer uptake and release characteristics under different crosslinker levels, temperature, pressure, and pH. The observed maximum absorption of water by the SAP was 1130 g/g of polymer. The release was modeled which showed a non‐Fickian mechanism. The water uptake of SAP was correlated with the average molecular weight between the crosslinks and crosslink density. Analysis of the weight loss data from TG in air revealed a zero order kinetics for the initial degradation step with an activation energy (AE) of 70.8 kJ/mol. The AEs for water uptake and release for thermal degradation were also determined through Arrhenius plots. The results inferred that the synthesized SAP can be exploited for commercial agricultural applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

An efficient preparation method for superabsorbent polymers

High water‐absorbent polyacrylates could be prepared by concentrated aqueous solution polymerization within a short time period, heating the monomer mixture by water bath. The influences of initiator content, bath temperature, crosslinker content (Cc), and degree of neutralization on water absorbency (Q) were investigated. The temperature changing of the monomer mixture during polymerization was thoroughly analyzed. The increase of initiator content as well as the increase of bath temperature results in the increase of water absorbency and reduces the crosslinking efficiency. The results are in conformity with Flory's network theory and also illustrate that lower crosslinking efficiency occurs when the polymerization rate is faster. An empirical relation of Q = 1.40 Cc^−0.665 is obtained and its exponent is very close to −0.6 in a derived relation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 119–124, 1999     

Synthesis of novel superabsorbing copolymers for agricultural and horticultural applications

A series of novel superabsorbent copolymers (SAPs) based on monomers acrylamide, calcium acrylate and sodium acrylate have been prepared using ammonium persulfate as initiator and N,N‐methylene‐bis‐acrylamide (MBA) as crosslinking agent; the monomer concentration, MBA concentration and initiator concentration were varied. The experimental results show that the SAPs have good absorbency both in water and NaCl solutions. The copolymers were characterized by IR spectroscopy. Water retention in soil is enhanced by use of these superabsorbents. The effect of SAPs on the growth of bean plants is reported. SAPs may be of use as water management materials for agricultural and horticultural purposes in desert and drought‐prone areas. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and properties of alginate superabsorbent filament fibers crosslinked with glutaraldehyde

Superabsorbent filament fibers based on sodium alginate were prepared using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent. Alginate was extruded into an aqueous hydrochloric acid coagulation bath to form continuous alginic acid gel fibers via a wet‐spinning method. The alginic acid gel fibers were dehydrated by exchanging water with dioxane, crosslinked, then neutralized for better absorbency. Crosslinked alginate filaments exhibited a high saline solution and synthetic urine absorbencies, maintaining the integrity of the fiber structure. Maximum synthetic urine absorbency was obtained with the fiber crosslinked at a lower glutaraldehyde concentration compared with that required for maximum saline solution absorbency. This appears to be due to the crosslinking effect of calcium ions in the synthetic urine solution being absorbed. Strain and tenacity of the crosslinked alginate fibers decreased with an increasing amount of glutaraldehyde used in the crosslinking reaction. The decrease in tenacity was not significant while the strain showed an extensive decrease. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 1797–1804, 2000     

Study on superabsorbent composite. VIII. Effects of acid‐ and heat‐activated attapulgite on water absorbency of polyacrylamide/attapulgite

A novel superabsorbent composite, polyacrylamide/attapulgite, from acrylamide (AM) and attapulgite (APT), was prepared by free‐radical polymerization, using N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. The effects of hydrochloric acid (HCl) concentration, acidification time, and acidification temperature while acidifying APT and temperature and APT heat‐activation on water absorbency of the superabsorbent composite in distilled water and in 0.9 wt % NaCl solution were studied. The water absorbency first decreases with increasing the HCl concentration while acidifying APT, and then increases with further increasing the HCl concentration. Prolongation of acidification time is of benefit to the increase of water absorbency. At a given HCl concentration, water absorbency for the composite increases with increasing acidification temperature. An important increase in water absorbency was observed after incorporating heat‐activated APT into the polymeric network, reaching a maximum of 1964 g g^?1 with the APT heat‐activated at 400°C. Acid‐ and heat‐activation can influence chemical composition, crystalline structure, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and specific surface area of APT according XRF, XRD, FTIR analysis, and physicochemical properties test, and then on water absorbency of corresponding PAM/APT superabsorbent composite. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2419–2424, 2007     

高吸水复合材料吸水速度的研究

本研究使用聚丙烯酰胺与蒙脱土复合而成的高吸水复合材料(简称SAPC)对其在各种情况下的吸水速度进行初步的探讨,测定了材料的吸水速度,讨论了水溶液中离子(盐)和醇浓度以及温度、时间等各种因素对SAPC吸水率的影响及影响吸水速度的原因。     

Relationship between water absorbency and reaction conditions in aqueous solution polymerization of polyacrylate superabsorbents

Polyacrylate superabsorbents were prepared by in situ aqueous solution polymerization in a polyethylene bag, which was submerged in a water bath. The influence of the initiator content, bath temperature, isopropanol content, initial monomer concentration, and crosslinker content (Cc) on water absorbency (Q) were investigated. The temperature change of the monomer mixture during polymerization was also analyzed. Increase of the chain ends in networks resulting from decrease of the molecular weight in free‐radical polymerization causes an increase of the water absorbency of superabsorbents and also reduces the crosslinking efficiency. The results are in conformity with the classical network theory. An empirical relation of Q = 2.45 Cc^−0.600 was obtained and the validity of Flory's swelling equation was confirmed indirectly. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 808–814, 2000     

Synthesis of poly(acrylic acid)/sodium humate superabsorbent composite for agricultural use

A novel poly (acrylic acid)/sodium humate superabsorbent composite was synthesized by graft copolymerization reaction of acrylic acid (AA) on sodium humate micropowder using N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and potassium peroxydisulfate (KPS) as an initiator in aqueous solution. The effects on water absorbency of factors such as reaction temperature, initial monomer concentration, and degree of neutralization of AA, amount of crosslinker, initiator, and sodium humate were investigated. The superabsorbent composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and the graft copolymerization reaction of AA on sodium humate micropowder was characterized by IR spectroscopy. Results obtained from this study show that the water absorbency of the superabsorbent composite synthesized under optimal conditions for synthesis with a sodium humate content of 5.3% exhibited absorption of 684 g H₂O/g sample in distilled water. Water‐retention in soil is enhanced by the use of the superabsorbent composite. The effect of superabsorbent composite on the growth of corn is reported. The superabsorbent composite may be of use as water management materials for agriculture purposes in desert and drought‐prone areas. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5137–5143, 2006     

Preparation of a starch‐graft‐acrylamide/kaolinite superabsorbent composite and the influence of the hydrophilic group on its water absorbency

A novel starch‐graft‐acrylamide/kaolinite superabsorbent composite with water absorbency 4000 times (g ) was synthesized by a graft copolymerization reaction among acrylamide, potato starch and kaolinite ultrafine powder, followed by saponification with NaOH. The influence of the hydrophilic group on water absorbency was investigated. It was found that the combined absorbent effect of —CONH₂, —COONa and —COOH groups was superior to that of a single group, and the composite with the molar ratio of 8:6:3 for the —CONH₂, —COONa and —COOH groups exhibits the highest water‐absorbent ability. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

耐盐保水剂的合成及其性能

以丙烯酸(AA)、2-丙烯酰胺-2-甲基丙磺酸(AMPS)和甲基烯丙基聚氧乙烯醚(HPEG-2400)为单体, 以过硫酸铵(APS)和亚硫酸氢钠为引发剂, N,N'-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺(NMBA)为交联剂, 采用溶液聚合法制备了耐盐性能较好的高吸水性新型保水剂, 并用FTIR对保水剂进行表征。研究了不同单体配比、交联剂用量、中和度及温度等因素对其保水性能的影响。实验结果表明:当固定引发剂质量分数为1%, 单体质量比为AA:AMPS:HPEG-2400=10:3:4, 交联剂质量分数为0.02%, 中和度为60%, 温度为60℃时, 合成得到的保水剂在1%氯化钾溶液中的吸水能力达201g/g, 对去离子水吸水能力达1787g/g。     

Preparation of starch‐graft‐poly(acrylamide)/attapulgite superabsorbent composite

A novel starch‐graft‐poly(acrylamide)/attapulgite superabsorbent composite was synthesized by graft copolymerization reaction of starch, acrylamide (AM), and attapulgite micropowder using N.N‐methylene‐bisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and ammonium persulphate (APS) as an initiator in aqueous solution, followed by hydrolysis with sodium hydroxide. The effects on water absorbency, such as amount of crosslinker, initiator, attapulgite, weight ratio of acrylamide to starch in the feed, gelatinization conditions of starch and molar ratio of NaOH to acrylamide, and so forth, were investigated. These superabsorbent composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The water absorbencies for these superabsorbent composites in water and saline solution were investigated, and water retention tests were carried out. Results obtained from this study showed that the water absorbency of superabsorbent composite synthesized under optimal synthesis conditions with an attapulgite content of 10% exhibit absorption of 1317 g H₂O/g sample and 68 g H₂O/g sample in distilled water and in 0.9 wt % NaCl solution, respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1351–1357, 2005     

环境友好型聚天冬高吸水性树脂的合成

以可生物降解的高分子材料聚琥珀酰亚胺为原料,二胺为交联剂,合成了环境友好型聚天冬高吸水性树脂。考察了原料分子量、交联剂种类、交联剂用量、吸水温度以及吸水时间等对树脂吸水倍率的影响。结果表明,交联剂用量显著影响树脂的吸水倍率,以分子量为67500的聚琥珀酰亚胺为原料,己二胺为交联剂,交联剂浓度为1.5%时,树脂吸水倍率为1480。     

Water absorbency of poly(sodium acrylate) superabsorbents crosslinked with modified poly(ethylene glycol)s

A series of novel crosslinkers, polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) with different molecular weights, were prepared, consisting of acryloyl end groups and the PEG backbones. The corresponding poly(sodium acrylate) superabsorbents of 60 mol % neutralization degree were synthesized by using ammonium persulfate and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate as redox initiators in aqueous solution. PEGDA was characterized by FTIR and ¹H‐NMR. The maximum of water absorbency (Q) of superabsorbents occurred at a specific mole fraction of crosslinker; Q‐values increased with increasing molecular weight of PEGDA at the same mole fraction, whereas the water absorption rate was the opposite, in which Q‐values decreased gradually with time (>24 h). Compared with superabsorbents containing methylene bisacrylamide crosslinker with PEGDA, the Q‐value of the former was significantly less than that of the latter, although levels of the residual monomer and the soluble polymer were opposite. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1851–1856, 2003     

壳聚糖接枝聚丙烯酸钠/高岭土复合树脂的吸水性能

利用溶液聚合法制备了壳聚糖接枝聚丙烯酸钠/高岭土复合树脂,研究了复合树脂在蒸馏水中的吸水速率、重复吸水性能和人工尿液中的吸水倍率,以及在不同温度、不同电解质溶液离子强度和不同pH值的环境下复合树脂的吸水性能。结果表明,复合树脂的吸水速率较慢,在多次重复吸水后吸水性能也逐渐降低,在人工尿液中的吸水倍率高于聚丙烯酸钠树脂,低于壳聚糖接枝丙烯酸钠树脂;随着温度的升高,复合树脂的吸水能力增强,超过50℃后变化较小;树脂的吸液倍率随着电解质溶液浓度和价态的增大而下降;随着pH值的增大而出现驼峰,在pH=3.5和pH=8.5处分别出现吸液倍率最大值。     

一种耐盐型高吸水性树脂的制备及其性能研究

以过硫酸铵(APS)为引发剂,N,N’-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺(MBAA)为交联剂,采用水溶液聚合法,制备了黄原胶(XG)接枝丙烯酰胺(AM)耐盐型高吸水性树脂,采用单因素和正交分析法考察了丙烯酰胺用量、碱用量、聚合温度、交联剂和引发剂用量等因素对树脂性能的影响。实验表明,当m(AM)∶m(XG)=6∶1,m(NaOH)∶m(AM)=1∶1,聚合温度为60℃,m(MBAA)∶m(AM)=0.04∶1,m(APS)∶m(AM)=0.07∶1时,所得树脂对去离子水的吸收倍率可达1 457 g/g,对0.9%NaC l溶液的吸收倍率可达623 g/g,且吸收速率适中,保水性能良好,是一种耐盐型高吸水性树脂。     

水溶液聚合高岭土复合高吸水性树脂的研究

以N，N-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺为交联剂，过硫酸铵／亚硫酸氢钠为氧化还原引发剂，采用水溶液聚合法合成出高岭土复合聚丙烯酸钠．丙烯酰胺高吸水性复合树脂。研究了高岭土的添加量和交联剂用量等因素对复合树脂的吸水性、吸盐性、保水性等的影响。热重分析(TGA)表明加入高岭土可提高复合树脂的保水性。(FTIR)表明聚丙烯酸与高岭土产生了表面化学交联，X射线衍射(XRD)表明单体在聚合过程中未能插入到高岭土层间。