Development of poly(acrylic acid)/nanofibrillated cellulose superabsorbent composites by ultraviolet light induced polymerization.

In this study, nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) was added during the UV-induced polymerization process of acrylic acid, so that the resulting poly-(acylic acid)/NFC composites can have improved water absorbency and swelling rate. The effects of process parameters, including NFC content on the UV-induced polymerization process, and the properties of resulting PAA hydrogel/NFC composites were investigated. Results showed that the addition of a small amount of NFC led to significant increase in both water absorbency and swelling rate of the PAA hydrogel/NFC composites. When compared to the control (without the addition of NFC), the water absorbency of the resulting PAA hydrogel/NFC composites increased from 380 to 525 g/g at 1 wt% of NFC addition (based on the dry weight of acrylic acid), while the swelling rate in deionized water and 0.9 % NaCl solution increased by 17.6 and 25.0 %, respectively. The results indicated that the PAA hydrogel/NFC composites were very promising for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]