Photopolymerisation and characterization of maleylatedcellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) superabsorbent polymer

A novel biodegradable superabsorbent polymer has been prepared from maleylated cotton stalk cellulose (MCSC) crosslinker and acrylic acid (AA) by ultraviolet (UV) photopolymerization in aqueous solution at room temperature, and irgacure 651 as a photoinitiator. The resulting superabsorbent was characterized by FT-IR, H-1 NMR, SEM and TGA. The effects of preparation conditions such as degree of substitution (DS), amount of maleylated cotton stalk cellulose, exposed time, photoinitiator amount and monomer concentration on the water absorbency and the monomer conversion in graft were evaluated. The swelling kinetics, salt-resistance, water retention capacity and biodegradability of the MCSC-g-PM superabsorbent were investigated. It was found that, the obtained superabsorbent have good swelling degree that greatly affected by its composition and preparation conditions. Owing to its considerable good water retention capacity, being economical and environment-friendly, it might be useful for its application in agriculture field. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.