STARCH-G-POLY(ACRYLIC ACID)/MICA BIONANOCOMPOSITE SUPERABSORBENT: BIODERADABILITY AND SWELLING BEHAVIOUR STUDIES
Prafulla K Sahoo, Bipra N Mallick and Pradeep K Rana
ABSTRACT
A novel Starch-g-Poly(acrylic acid)/mica superabsorbent
bionanocomposite was synthesized by graft copolymerization reaction
of starch with acrylic acid (AA) and addition of fine mica powder via
emulsion polymerization using ammonium persulfate (APS) as
initiator at 500C. The reaction parameters such as initiator and
monomer concentrations were optimized to get the maximum
percentage grafting. The grafted samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared
(FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermo gravimetric analysis
(TGA) techniques and evaluated for properties like swelling behavior, biodegradability and
thermal stability. The swelling behavior and biodegradability were found to be higher with
higher starch and lower mica content. Thermal stability of the synthesized bionanocomposite
was higher for the increased mica content specimens. The novelty of this synthesized
bionanocomposite is that it can be used as a superabsorbent having potential thermal stability
in probable biomedical as well as engineering applications.
Keywords: Starch, acrylic acid, mica, bionanocomposite, superabsorbent, Biodegradation.
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