Novel highly swelling nanoporous hydrogel based on polysaccharide/protein hybrid backbone

Impact of Modifications from Potassium Hydroxide on Porous Semi-IPN Hydrogel Properties and Its Application in Cultivation

This study synthesized and modified a semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel from polyacrylamide, N,N'-dimethylacrylamide, and maleic acid in a potassium hydroxide solution. The chemical composition, interior morphology, thermal properties, mechanical characteristics, and swelling behaviors of the initial hydrogel (SH) and modified hydrogel (SB) in water, salt solutions, and buffer solutions were investigated. Hydrogels were used as phosphate fertilizer (PF) carriers and applied in farming techniques by evaluating their impact on soil properties and the growth of mustard greens. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the chemical composition of SH, SB, and PF-adsorbed hydrogels. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that modification increased the largest pore size from 817 to 1513 µm for SH and SB hydrogels, respectively. After modification, the hydrogels had positive changes in the swelling ratio, swelling kinetics, thermal properties, mechanical and rheological properties, PF absorption, and PF release. The modification also increased the maximum amount of PF loaded into the hydrogel from 710.8 mg/g to 770.9 mg/g, while the maximum % release of PF slightly increased from 84.42% to 85.80%. In addition, to evaluate the PF release mechanism and the factors that influence this process, four kinetic models were applied to confirm the best-fit model, which included zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer-Peppas. In addition, after six cycles of absorption and release in the soil, the hydrogels retained their original shapes, causing no alkalinization or acidification. At the same time, the moisture content was higher as SB was used. Finally, modifying the hydrogel increased the mustard greens' lifespan from 20 to 32 days. These results showed the potential applications of modified semi-IPN hydrogel materials in cultivation.

Study on the preparation and drug release property of soybean selenoprotein/carboxymethyl chitosan composite hydrogel

Soybean selenoprotein/carboxymethyl chitosan (SSP/CMCS) composite hydrogel obtained by the crosslinking of genipin was evaluated for caffeine release. The gelation process of the hydrogel was investigated by resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra and viscosity methods. The hydrogels presented a compact network structure, which was observed by positive fluorescence microscopy (PFM). The structural properties of the hydrogel were revealed by fluorescence and FT-IR. The swelling characteristic of the hydrogel and its application in the slow release of caffeine were also studied. These results indicate that there is obvious interaction between SSP and CMCS by the addition of genipin, and the CMCS/SSP solution experiences a significant sol-gel phase transition process upon polymerization. The swelling ratio and release of caffeine slow down obviously at pH 1.2. However, larger swelling and more drug release can be observed at pH 7.4. The experimental values of the empiric diffusional exponent show that the release profiles abide by the non-Fickian diffusion process under both investigated pH conditions. The hydrogel, which is pale transparent with light yellow color at room temperature, can be formulated to be a suitable carrier for site-specific drug delivery.

Synthesis and properties of sodium alginate/poly(acrylic acid) double-network superabsorbent

A tough double-network (DN) superabsorbent was synthesized by a two-step method using N,N-methylenebisacrylamide as a covalent cross-linker for one monomer [acrylic acid (AA)], Ca2+ (CaCl2) as an ionic cross-linker for the other monomer (sodium alginate [SA]) and ammonium peroxodisulfate as the redox initiator. The optimized experimental conditions for the absorbency in deionized water were determined according to orthogonal experiments. Unlike conventional chemical cross-linked single-network superabsorbents, SA/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) DN superabsorbents exhibit superb mechanical properties. Compared with the tensile strength of PAA-only superabsorbents, that of SA/PAA DN superabsorbents showed an approximately 371.9% increase with increasing amount of 6 wt.% SA. We also investigated the capacity of SA/PAA DN superabsorbents to remove heavy metal ions. It was found that the addition of SA can truly increase the metal ion removal capacity of the PAA superabsorbents and that the affinity order was Pb2+>Zn2+.