Preparation of poly(acrylic acid)graphite oxide superabsorbent nanocomposites

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry Vol. 22; no. 11; pp. 4811 - 4817
• Main Authors: Zhu, Zhao-Qi, Sun, Han-Xue, Qin, Xiao-Juan, Jiang, Lei, Pei, Chun-Juan, Wang, Li, Zeng, Ying-Qiu, Wen, Shu-Hao, La, Pei-Qing, Li, An, Deng, Wei-Qiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2012
• Subjects: Acrylic acid; Graphite; Monomers; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Oxides; Solution polymerization
• ISSN: 0959-9428; 1364-5501
• DOI: 10.1039/c2jm14210d

Graphite oxide (GO) nanoplatelets with a thickness from 0.8 nm to 2 nm were prepared using a modified Hummers method. By employing GO nanoplatelets as nanofillers, poly(acrylic acid)GO superabsorbent nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile solution polymerization of acrylic acid monomers using N , N -methylenebisacrylamide as cross-linker and ammonium persulfate as initiator. The well-dispersed GO nanoplatelets in the polymer networks results in a significant improvement in absorbencies both in distilled water and saline solutions. With only a very low loading of GO in the superabsorbent nanocomposite, for example 0.073 wt%, its water absorbency reaches up to 508 g g 1 , which is nearly as twice that of the poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) superabsorbent. The superabsorbent nanocomposite also exhibits a superior water-retention ability compared with the control under the same conditions. Our study may provide a new way for the development of novel, GO-based superabsorbent nanocomposites with improved absorbency and may find a variety of useful applications. Novel, GO-based superabsorbent nanocomposites with good salt-resistant performance and water-retention ability were synthesized via a facile solution polymerization.