Superabsorbent Materials

Abstract

Superabsorbent materials (SAMs) are hydrophilic polymer networks that can rapidly absorb water at amounts hundreds or even thousands times their own mass, and they can retain the absorbed water for a long time even under some pressure. Because of their excellent properties, SAMs are mainly used in disposable hygiene products as substitutes for traditional absorbents (cotton, sponge, wood pulp, and colloidal silica) and used in modern agriculture as water‐saving materials. Since the commercialization of the first SAM in 1978, the global yield and consumption of SAM was dramatically increased year by year, and the applications of such materials were also extended to other fields, such as wastewater treatment, medicine, construction, and sealing materials. Although SAMs are only decades old, they has developed into one of the most potential and prospective polymer materials in the market. Common SAMs are generally white sugar‐like hygroscopic materials, which can be classified as the following three types: starch‐based SAM, cellulose‐based SAM, and synthetic SAM. Today, the common commercial SAMs are cross‐linked sodium polyacrylate prepared through solution or inverse‐suspension polymerization techniques. In allusion to the drawbacks of currently prepared SAMs (including low salt‐resistance, high production cost, and poor gel strength), multiple kinds of raw materials and preparation methods were developed and adopted by manufacturers. Based on the above description, the development background, characteristics, chemical structures, type, physical and chemical properties of SAM, and the corresponding applied research works and future development prospects are introduced in this article.

Superabsorbent polymers in soil: The new microplastics?

“…Due to their hydrophilic properties, selective permeability and mechanical, chemical and biological stability, SAPs are used in personal care products, cosmetics and biomedical applications (Wang and Wang, 2000;Kulawik-Pióro and Miastkowska, 2021). They are contained in diapers, sanitary napkins and panty liners for their absorbing properties, while further acting as preservatives and moisturizers in cosmetics (Venkatachalam and Kaliappa, 2023;Chen et al, 2022).…”