Abstract
In this study, a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) comprising poly (IA-co-cellulose-co-VSA-co-AA; ICVA) core-SAP (CSAP) was synthesized through radical polymerization using itaconic acid (IA), acrylic acid (AA), cellulose, and vinyl sulfonic acid (VSA) as monomers. The absorption performances and relative biodegradability of various compositions prepared by adjusting the amounts of cellulose and VSA with constant IA and AA content were compared. Increasing the cellulose content in CSAP contributed to improved biodegradation of the surface-crosslinked SAP (SSAP) and gel strength, although the free absorbency (FA) and centrifuge retention capacity (CRC) decreased. Increasing the VSA content resulted in strong anionicity, which enables the absorption of large amounts of water. Surface-crosslinking technology was applied to the CSAP synthesized with the optimal composition ratio to increase its absorption performance and gel strength. Improved performance of the synthesized SSAP (a CRC of 30.4 g/g, absorbency under load (AUL) of 23.3 g/g, and permeability of 55 s) was achieved by selecting the optimal surface-crosslinking treatment time and the amount of distilled water in the surface-crosslinking solution: as the latter was increased in the surface-crosslinking solution, the AUL and permeability of the SSAP were improved, and its biodegradability was found to be 54% compared to the 100% biodegradable cellulose hydrogel in the control group.
Highlights
A superabsorbent polymer (SAP) can absorb water at tens to hundreds of times its own weight and does not release water under a certain pressure
We showed synthetic composition of CSAP and abbreviation of SAP made of poly(IA-co-cellulose-co-vinyl sulfonic acid (VSA)-co-acrylic acid (AA); ICVA)
Our research is based on the newly designed eco-friendly biodegradable SAP made of biomass-derived itaconic acid (IA) and cellulose
Summary
A superabsorbent polymer (SAP) can absorb water at tens to hundreds of times its own weight and does not release water under a certain pressure. Due to these characteristics, they are most commonly used in sanitary products such as diapers for infants and adults, absorbent pads and packaging materials for food distribution, water-retaining soil and seedling sheets in agriculture and horticulture, and drug delivery materials for pharmaceuticals [1,2,3]. Many studies have been conducted to improve both permeability and absorbency under load (AUL) by increasing the gel strength while maintaining other water absorption performance for application to infant disposable diapers. Increasing the gel strength narrows the network width and reduces absorption capacity at the same time
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