Swelling behaviors of superabsorbent composites based on acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymer and acid-modified attapulgite

Abstract

The swelling behaviors and water retention of superabsorbent materials prepared from acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymer and acid-modified attapulgite under ultrasonic treatment and different pH conditions were investigated. The results demonstrated that a suitable amount of attapulgite can effectively improve the absorption capacity. The superabsorbent achieved the highest absorptions of 1257.54 g g⁻¹ and 209.45 g g⁻¹ in distilled water and a 0.9 wt% NaCl solution, and a higher water absorbency occurred over a wide pH range of 5–9 when the ultrasonic power was 200 W, and the attapulgite content was 10%. Addition of attapulgite could significantly increase the water absorption and retention of this kind of material, which can be applied as a sand-fixing material.