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Acrylic acid, potassium salts, and acrylamide are used to produce superabsorbent polymers. Minimizing acrylic acid dimer levels prevents issues in the final product like reduced yield or residual monomers. Manufacturers have focused on improving acrylic acid properties and characterization. Superabsorbent polymers are typically made through free-radically-initiated polymerization of acrylic monomers in aqueous or hydrocarbon media using techniques like solution polymerization, inverse suspension polymerization, or graft copolymerization. Solution polymerization involves partially neutralizing carboxylic acid groups before or after polymerizing acrylic monomers in water using initiators. Inverse suspension polymerization uses a water-in-oil process to disperse monomers in hydrocarbon

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91 views3 pages

RRL

Acrylic acid, potassium salts, and acrylamide are used to produce superabsorbent polymers. Minimizing acrylic acid dimer levels prevents issues in the final product like reduced yield or residual monomers. Manufacturers have focused on improving acrylic acid properties and characterization. Superabsorbent polymers are typically made through free-radically-initiated polymerization of acrylic monomers in aqueous or hydrocarbon media using techniques like solution polymerization, inverse suspension polymerization, or graft copolymerization. Solution polymerization involves partially neutralizing carboxylic acid groups before or after polymerizing acrylic monomers in water using initiators. Inverse suspension polymerization uses a water-in-oil process to disperse monomers in hydrocarbon

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Acrylic acid (AA), potassium salts, and acrylamide (AM) are generally used in the production of

Superabsorbent Polymers. Acrylamide a colorless, odorless, highly water soluble vinyl monomer

that is used largely as medium in the production of organic chemicals and synthesis of

polyacrylamide (idk cite). In particular, minimizing the acrylic acid dimer level prevents the

insufficiency in the final product for instance yield reduction, loss of soluble fraction, residual

monomers, etc. Manufacturers knew that AA can probably cause problems in the future

researches so they focus on improving its properties and characterization. To inhibit unwanted

polymerization, the temperature of this notably exothermic neutralization reaction must be

evenly contained. Some examples of techniques that are used in the previous researches are free-

radically-initiated polymerization, solution polymerization, graft copolymerization etc.. Among

other techniques, superabsorbent polymer materials are usually done through the use of free-

radically-initiated polymerization of acrylic monomers. The resins are prepared either in aqueous

medium using solution polymerization or in a hydrocarbon medium where the monomers are

well-dispersed. These different methods are briefly discussed in the following sections. (Kabiri,

Zohriaan-Mehr; 2008)

Solution Polymerization

In polymerization, carboxylic acid groups of the product are partially neutralized before or after

the process. The polymerization is initiated by free-radicals in the aqueous phase, using

thermally decomposable initiators, redox initiators or combinations. Redox systems used for the

cross-linking copolymerizations include couples of persulfate/bisulfite, persulfate/thiosulfate,

persulfate/ascorbate and hydrogen peroxide/ascorbate. (Buchholz, 1994)


AA and/or its salts with water-soluble cross-linker, e.g., N,N-methylene Bisacrylamide (MBA)

through the use of solution polymerization is a simple process. The reactants are dissolved in

water at desired concentrations, usually about 10-70%. A fast exothermic reaction yields a gel-

like elastic product which is dried and the macro-porous mass is pulverized and sieved to obtain

the required particle size. This preparative method usually suffers from the necessity to handle a

rubbery/solid reaction product, lack of a sufficient reaction control, non-exact particle size

distribution, and increasing the sol content mainly due to undesired effects of hydrolytic and

thermal cleavage (Kabiri, Zohriaan-Mehr; 2008). Generally, the production of superabsorbent

polymers is classified according to their swelling properties, cost of production, and efficient

technique.

Inverse-Suspension Polymerization

Dispersion polymerization is an interesting method for producing polymer since the products can

be obtained in a form of powder of microspheres. The type of polymerization that used water-in-

oil process is called inverse-suspension. In this process, a dispersion of monomers and

initiator occur in the hydrocarbon phase as a homogenous mixture. The resin particle size and

shape is characterized by the viscosity of the monomer, agitation speed, rotor design, and

dispersant type. (Buchholz, 1994). Because of its high flexibility and vesaritility with high

swelling ability and fast absorption technique, Inverse-suspension is a distinguished technique to

produce SAP. (Kabiri, Zohriaan-Mehr; 2008). MBA an example of water-soluble initiator is

much higher than the oil soluble type initiator for instance, EGDMA. (Omidian, 1994)
5. Po R, Water-absorbent polymers: A patent survey,

J Macromol. Sci-Rev Macromol Chem Phys, C34,

607-662, 1994.

19. Buchholz FL, Recent advances in superabsorbent

polyacrylates, Trend Polym Sci, 2, 277-281, 1994.

97. Hunkeler D, Synthesis and characterization of

high molecular weight water-soluble polymers,

Polym Int, 27, 23-33, 1992.

98. Watanabe N, Hosoya Y, Tamura A, Kosuge H,

Characteristics of water-absorbent polymer emulsions,

Polym Int, 30, 525-531,1993.

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