Synthesis of superabsorbent polymers based on chitosan derivative graft acrylic acid-co-acrylamide and its property testing

A new kind of eco-friendly superabsorbent polymer was successfully synthesized using (2-pyridyl) acetyl chitosan chloride (PACS), acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AM) in aqueous solution by a free radical polymerization. The effect of different reaction conditions, such as the initiator content, crosslinker content and PACS content were investigated. And the water retention, salt tolerance and reuse ability were investigated too. The chemical structure and morphological characterizations of the superabsorbent polymer were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the novel superabsorbent polymer exhibits excellent water absorbency, which can absorb distilled water 615 g/g and 0.9% NaCl solution 44 g/g. At the same time, this product showed excellent water retention and reusability. The antibacterial properties of the superabsorbent polymers were tested too. The introduction of antibacterial groups also enhances antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This kind of superabsorbent polymer has a broad application prospect.