Synthesis and swelling behavior of acrylatedstarch-g-poly (acrylic acid) and acrylated starch-g-poly (acrylamide) hydrogels

In the present work, synthesis and swellability, of acrylatedstarch-based hydrogels was investigated. Acrylic groups were introduced onto starch backbone by a homogeneous synthesis to produce starch monomers with three different degree of substitution (DS). The radical copolymerization of acrylatedstarch (AST) with acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AAm) was carried out in aqueous solution using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and TGA thermal analysis were carried out to confirm the chemical structure of the hydrogel. Moreover, morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their equilibrium swelling degree was evaluated in various conditions. The absorbency under load (AUL)of the hydrogel was also determined by using an AUL tester at various applied pressures. Finally, dynamic swelling kinetics of the hydrogel was studied. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.