Synthesis and characterization of Hydrogels based on Potato Starch/Poly(vinyl Alcohol)/N, N'-Methylenebisacrylamide

Abstract

Several hydrogels were synthesized by free-radical polymerization in an aqueous medium based on potato starch (PS), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and N,N'-Methylenebisacrylamide (MBAm), being possible to study these hydrogels as a function of the proportion of components incorporated. In this way, the products generated from the synthesis were characterized by swelling and deswelling kinetics, the first swelling being verified with Schott and statistical models, allowing to contrast the proximity between the experimental and theoretical behavior. Additionally, spectroscopy (FTIR), morphological (SEM), and thermal (TGA and DSC) analysis allowing to know the intrinsic characteristics of the material, increasing in general terms the knowledge of this type of material. In this context, it was possible to verify the characteristics and effectiveness of the synthesis and crosslinking of the main components. The experimental results obtained show that the synthesized hydrogels present representative first swellings consistent with kinetic and statistical models; however, there are significant changes in the second swelling derived from polymer degradation that occurs during the same swelling/deswelling cycles processes.