Superabsorbent fabric: in situ polymerisation of macroporous starch-sodium alginate-polyacrylate hydrogel on fibre surface

A comfortable microenvironment can be obtained by applying superabsorbent fabrics in personal protective equipment. We prepared a superabsorbent and high-water-retention fabric via in situ polymerisation of starch-sodium alginate-polyacrylate (St-SA-PAA) hydrogel on the surface of a polyester fabric. The pore-size distribution of the gel on the fabric was 30-91 mu m. Utilising the capillarity of the polyester fibre, the water-absorption rate of St-SA-PAA gel could be increased from 2.8 to 10 g/min when deposited on the fabric. The water absorption capacity of the superabsorbent fabric reached 343 g/g, which exceeded that of the reported superabsorbent fibres. In addition, the supporting effect of the polyester fibre resulted in improved mechanical properties of the gel after water absorption. Interestingly, the superabsorbent fabric exhibited isotropic characteristics, and its water absorption capacity and softness was adjustable by controlling the amount of deposited gel. Further, its swelling behaviour conformed to second-order kinetics. This study provides a new approach for the development of comfortable damp-heat-management fabrics. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

A comfortable microenvironment can be achieved by using superabsorbent fabrics in personal protective equipment. A superabsorbent and high-water-retention fabric was prepared by in situ polymerization of Starch-Sodium Alginate-Polyacrylate (St-SA-PAA) hydrogel on polyester fabric. The water-absorption rate of the fabric increased from 2.8 to 10 g/min with the deposition of St-SA-PAA gel on the fabric, and the water absorption capacity reached 343 g/g. The mechanical properties of the gel improved after water absorption due to the supporting effect of the polyester fiber. The superabsorbent fabric exhibited isotropic characteristics and its water absorption capacity and softness could be adjusted by controlling the amount of deposited gel.