pH-responsive carboxymethylcellulose-g-poly(sodium acrylate)/polyvinylpyrrolidone semi-IPN hydrogels with enhanced responsive and swelling properties

Novel pH-responsive semi-interpenetrated polymer network (semi-IPN) superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared by the radical graft polymerization of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and partially neutralized acrylic acid (NaA) in the presence of a crosslinker, N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA), and linear polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). FTIR spectroscopy showed that NaA was grafted onto the CMC backbone and PVP combined with CMC-g-PNaA network by hydrogen-bonding interaction. SEM showed that the formation of a semi-IPN structure improved the surface structure of the hydrogels. The reaction variables, including the mass ratio of acrylic acid (AA) to CMC, MBA concentration and PVP content were optimized, and the crosslinking density of the hydrogels was determined. In addition, the pH-response, swelling behavior of the hydrogel in various saline solutions and aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) solutions were investigated. The results showed that the introduction of CMC and PVP clearly enhanced the swelling capability and rate, and improved the pH-responsive and On-Off switching swelling abilities, salt-resistance, and intriguing time-dependent swelling characteristics.