Swelling Behaviors of Superabsorbent Composites Based on Acrylic Acid/Acrylamide Copolymer and Attapulgite

Abstract

The swelling behaviors and water retention of superabsorbent sand-fixing materials prepared from acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymer (AA/AM) and acid-modified attapulgite under ultrasonic treatments and different pH conditions were investigated. The results demonstrated that a suitable amount of attapulgite can effectively improve the absorption capacity and saltwater performance. The superabsorbent achieved the highest absorptions of 1257.54 g/g and 209.45 g/g in distilled water and a 0.9 wt% NaCl solution, and a higher water absorbency occurred over a wide pH range of 5~9 when the ultrasonic power was 200 W and the attapulgite content was 10%. The addition of attapulgite could significantly increase the water absorption and retention.

Keywords

• polymers
• acrylic acid/acrylamide
• attapulgite
• water absorption
• water retention