Preparation and Properties of Poly (acrylic acid-potassium acrylate)/Attapulgite Superabsorbent Composite

A novel poly (acrylic acid-potassium acrylate)/attapulgite superabsorbent composite was synthsized by graft copolymerization reaction of partially neutralized acylic acid on acidified attapulgite micropowder using N,N -methylene-bisacrylamide as a crosslinker and potassium persulphate as an initiator in aqueous solution. These crosslinked superabsorbent composites were characterized by thermogravimetetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The graft copolymerisation reaction of acrylic acid on attapulgite micropowder was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The factors of effect on water absorbency such as amount of cresslinker, initiator and attapulgite were investigated in this paper. The superabsorbent composite containing 10% attapulgite which obtained under our experimental conditions has a water absorbency more than 1200g·g~(-1) in distilled water and 100g·g~(-1) in w_(NaCl)=0.009 solution, respectively.