Vol. 13, Issue 2 (2025)
Cost-effective synthesis and rheological study of acrylic acid-based low swelling soft microporous hydrogels
Author(s): Kumari Neetu Singh and Reena Bhadani
Abstract: Acrylic acid-based hydrogels having low swelling offer a better balance of controlled expansion with enhanced structural integrity. These properties enable the potential use of the above material in applications without excessive swelling. These materials are synthesised by polymerising acrylic acid monomers with finely tuned cross-linkers yielding an interconnected network with reduced swelling compared to conventional acrylicacid gels. Such low-swelling polyacrylic acid hydrogels were synthesised through the polymerisation of acrylic acid(AA) monomers in the aqueous solution of nitric acid as a medium, also acting as the initiator and N, N-methylene bis-acrylamide (NNMBAM) in high concentration as cross-linker at the temperature 80°C. The polymerising mixture was transformed into a solid, glassy, flexible mass, which was taken and washed properly to remove soluble materials and dried. The formed hydrogels swell in water very little, and equilibrium swelling was obtained after several days depicting low swelling capacity. The low swelling capacity of the hydrogels increased substantially (However, it was also low) when the polymer was subjected to alkaline saponifications. The water uptake capacity of the hydrolysed polymer was found to be nearly 3 times its mass. The formed low-swelling hydrogels were also pH-sensitive. The swellability of polyacrylic acid hydrogels decreased a little by adding ionic salt to the medium. FTIR spectroscopy was carried out to illustrate the chemical structure of the hydrogels. Moreover morphology of the sample of hydrogels so prepared was observed by FESEM.
Pages: 47-53 | 198 Views 113 Downloads
download (12485KB)
How to cite this article:
Kumari Neetu Singh, Reena Bhadani. Cost-effective synthesis and rheological study of acrylic acid-based low swelling soft microporous hydrogels. Int J Chem Stud 2025;13(2):47-53.
