Polymer reaction engineering studies on smart hydrogels formation

Abstract

This work reports polymer reaction engineering studies on the synthesis process of different classes of smart hydrogels (e.g. super-absorbents, pH/temperature-sensitive). Stimuli-responsive gel beads were obtained using inverse suspension polymerization. Dynamics of product formation was measured using different techniques (e.g. FTIR-ATR, SEC/RI/MALLS). End-use properties of final networks were tested and the morphology of the beads was observed by SEM. A general kinetic approach was exploited to describe the formation of these hydrogels. Studies here presented aim at the development of mathematical models aiding the design of synthesis conditions for the production of hydrogels with tailored properties.