Hydrogel composites based on linear low-density polyethylene-g-poly (acrylic acid)/Kaolin or halloysite nanotubes

Iron/NPK agrochemical formulation from superabsorbent nanocomposite based on maize bran and montmorillonite with functions of water uptake and slow-release fertilizer

Slow-release character of hydrogel nanocomposite makes it efficient in amending Fe nutritional disorder, fertilizer loss, and crops growth and yield.

Hemostatic kaolin-polyurethane foam composites for multifunctional wound dressing applications

There are numerous challenges associated with the acute care of traumatic limb injuries in forward military settings. A lack of immediate medical facilities necessitates that the wound dressing perform multiple tasks including exudate control, infection prevention, and physical protection of the wound for extended periods of time. Here, kaolin was incorporated into recently developed robust polyurethane (PU) hydrogel foams at 1-10wt% in an effort to impart hemostatic character. ATR-IR and gel fraction analysis demonstrated that the facile, one-pot synthesis of the PU hydrogel was unaffected by kaolin loading, as well as the use of a non-toxic catalyst, which significantly improved cytocompatibility of the materials. Kaolin was generally well dispersed throughout the PU matrix, though higher loadings exhibited minor evidence of aggregation. Kaolin-PU composites exhibited burst release of ciprofloxacin over 2h, the initial release rates of which increased with kaolin loading. Kaolin loading imparted excellent hemostatic character to the PU foams at relatively low loading levels (5wt%). This work demonstrates the simple and inexpensive synthesis of robust, hemostatic, and absorptive kaolin-PU foams that have promising potential as multifunctional wound dressing materials.

Eco-friendly superabsorbent composite based on sodium alginate and organo-loess with high swelling properties

A novel superabsorbent composite with high swelling properties was synthesized by the grafted co-polymerization of partially neutralized acrylic acid (AA) onto a sodium alginate (NaAlg) backbone in the presence of organo-loess.