Water and Dye Uptake Studies of Acrylamide/4‐Styrenesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Copolymers and Semi‐Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Composed of Gelatin and/or PVA

Abstract

AbstractGelatin (GEL) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) based semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) hydrogels were prepared as a water adsorbent for cationic dye (methyl violet, MV) sorption. For this case, chemically cross‐linked copolymer of an acrylamide/4‐styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt (AAm/SSS) copolymer with PVA and/or GEL was prepared by polymerization of aqueous solution of acrylamide (AAm) and 4‐styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt (SSS) using ammonium persulfate/N,N,N',N'‐ tetramethylethylenediamine as a redox initiating pair in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate as a cross‐linker. FT‐IR analysis was used to identify the presence of different repeating units in the semi‐IPNs. Surface morphology was characterized by using a scanning electron microscopy technique. Some swelling and diffusion characteristics were calculated for different semi‐IPNs and hydrogels prepared under various formulations. Water uptake and dye sorption properties of the cross‐linked polymeric systems, such as AAm/SSS, AAm/GEL/SSS, AAm/PVA/SSS, and AAm/GEL/PVA/SSS hydrogel systems, were investigated as a function of chemical composition of the hydrogels. MV is used in sorption studies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 32: E531–E544, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.21299