Synthesis, Characterization and Comparison of two Water-soluble Crosslinkers Used in the Preparation of Superabsorbent Polymers

Superabsorbent polymer (SAPs) materials are hydrophilic networks that can absorb and retain huge amounts of water or aqueous solutions. SAPs are originally divided into two main classes: synthetic (petrochemical-based) and natural (polysaccharide and polypeptide-based) [1]. They can absorb water hundreds times of its own weight and being converted to long lasting gels, have a special place in agriculture, landscaping, erosion control and desert reduction [2].One of the most important parameters that directly effects on the superabsorbent performance, is the type of the crosslinker used in the superabsorbent synthesis. This issue involves the mechanical stability and swelling level of the synthesized superabsorbent. In this work, two types of crosslinkers with different chain-lengths were synthesized by the reaction of ethylenediamine and propylenediamine with acryloyl chloride. The synthesized crosslinkers were then underwent superabsorbent preparation. The prepared superabsorbents were compared together and with other samples prepared with (N, N’-methylenebis (acrylamide), MBAAm) as a provided crosslinker. The performance of the samples including water-holding capacity (WH) and water-retention ratio (WR) was investigated in soil samples. Other analyses such as swelling, FT-IR, TGA and SEM were also studied. Results showed considerable changes in the performance and mechanical stability of the samples by changing the type of the crosslinker.