%0 Journal Article
%T Synthesis of pH-Sensitive Hydrogel Based on Starch-Polyacrylate Superabsorbent
%A Mohammad Sadeghi
%A Fatemeh Soleimani
%J Journal of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology
%P 310-314
%@ 2158-7043
%D 2012
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/jbnb.2012.322038
%X In this article, we synthesize of a novel starch-based superabsorbent hydrogel via graft copolymerization of mixtures of acrylic acid (AA) and 2-Hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) onto starch backbones. The polymerization reaction was carried out in an aqueous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>กฏ-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The hydrogel structures were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the swelling of superabsorbing hydrogels was examined in solutions with pH values ranging between 1 and 13. It showed a reversible pH-responsive behavior at pHs 2 and 8. This on-off switching behavior makes the synthesized hydrogels as an excellent candidate for controlled delivery of bioactive agents. A proposed mechanism for hydrogel formation was suggested and the structure of the product was established using FTIR and SEM spectroscopies.
%K Starch
%K Hydrogel
%K pH-Sensitive
%K Vinylic Monomers
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=18991