A New Class of Starch-Based Hydrogels Incorporating Acrylamide and Vinyl Pyrrolidone: Effects of Reaction Variables on Water Sorption Behavior

Abstract

A new class of starch-based hydrogels incorporating acrylamide (AM) and vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) were prepared by ceric ammonium nitrate initiated polymerization in the presence of N, N -methylene bisacrylamide (MBA). The swelling and diffusion characteristics in water were studied with respect to the effects of reaction variables such as the type and amount of starch, the amounts of AM and VP, as well as MBA concentration. It was found that these reaction variables affected the swelling ratio of the hydrogels and the kinetics parameters of the water sorption process. The water transport mechanism in the swelling starch-based hydrogels was non-Fickian diffusion.