• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2021

Calcium hydroxide (CH) reacts with CO2 to produce moisture, and sodium carbonate (SC) reacts with CO2 in the presence of moisture. Using these different characteristics of these two reactants, a CH/SC mixture of CO2 absorber tuned for kimchi ripening to produce CO2 in a flexible package was selected. A ratio of CH:SC (1:2) in highly gas permeable microporous spunbonded film (Tyvek) sachet was found to be appropriate for delayed and consistent CO2 absorption useful for kimchi package. Addition of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) as moisture buffer was helpful for boosting the consistency of CO2 absorption. In a package of 0.5 kg kimchi at 10℃, the sachet consisting of 0.794 g of CH + 2.276 g of SC + 0.4 g of SAP suppressed its volume expansion and maintained a suitable range of CO2 partial pressure (PCO2) steadily inside. These optimal conditions may vary depending on the type and salinity of kimchi, storage and distribution temperature, and the material and area of the absorber sachet. This study showed a potential of mixture CO2 absorber to be tuned for CO2 producing packaged kimchi for the purpose of keeping consistent PCO2 at tolerable volume expansion.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2005

In this study, a series of highly swelling hydrogels based on sodium alginate (NaAlg) and polymethacryl­amide (PMAM) was prepared through free radical polymerization. The graft copolymerization reaction was performed in a homogeneous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and N,N'-methylenebis­acrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The crosslinked graft copolymer, alginate-graft-polymethacrylamide (Alg-g­PMAM), was then partially hydrolyzed by NaOH solution to yield a hydrogel, hydrolyzed alginate-graft-poly­methacrylamide (H-Alg-g-PMAM). During alkaline hydrolysis, the carboxamide groups of Alg-g-PMAM were converted into hydrophilic carboxylate anions. Either the Alg-g-PMAM or the H-Alg-g-PMAM was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The effects of the grafting variables (i.e., concentration of MBA, MAM, and APS) and the alkaline hydrolysis conditions (i.e., NaOH concentration, hydrolysis time, and temperature) were optimized systematically to achieve a hydrogel having the maximum swelling capacity. Measurements of the absorbency in various aqueous salt solutions indicated that the swelling capacity decreased upon increasing the ionic strength of the swelling medium. This behavior could be attributed to a charge screening effect for monovalent cations, as well as ionic cross-linking for multivalent cations. Because of the high swelling capacity in salt solutions, however, the hydrogels might be considered as anti-salt superabsorbents. The swelling behavior of the superabsorbing hydrogels was also measured in solutions having values of pH ranging from 1 to 13. Furthermore, the pH reversibility and on/off switching behavior, measured at pH 2.0 and 8.0, suggested that the synthesized hydrogels were excellent candidates for the controlled delivery of bioactive agents. Finally, we performed preliminary investigations of the swelling kinetics of the synthesized hydrogels at various particle sizes.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.86-94
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• 2020

When the Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) is added into concrete, the slump decreases rapidly, deteriorating the workability, the internal curing effect can be obtained through the water absorption and discharge process, and the internal voids of the concrete are increased. In this study, the effects of internal curing and voids were evaluated by evaluating the compressive strength, freeze-thaw resistance, and chloride penetration resistance of SAP-adding concrete that secured workability using a water reducing agent. Also, the internal curing effect of SAP was evaluated by dividing the curing conditions of concrete into water curing and sealed curing. From the result, as the SAP adding ratio increased, the amount of water reducing agent increased, and as for the compressive strength, the SAP adding ratio of 1.5% showed the greatest compressive strength. In particular, in the case of sealed curing showed higher compressive strength than the water curing. It is considered that the compressive strength increased due to the reduction of the effective water-cement ratio and the internal curing effect. Adding 1.0~1.5% of SAP improved the freeze-thaw resistance similar to the case of adding the AE agent, and the addition of more than 1.0% of SAP improved the chloride penetration resistance. The optimal adding ratio of SAP is 1.5%, and the adding ratio of 2.0% or more adversely affects the compressive strength and freeze-thaw resistance.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.263-268
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• 2009

Superporous Hydrogels (SPHs) have been extensively investigated for various biomedical applications due to their fast swelling and superabsorbent properties. In this study, glycol chitosan that is one of most abundant natural polymers was used as a cross-linking agent instead of bisacrylamide (BIS), which is a broadly used crosslinking agent for preparation of SPHs. Glycol chitosan was modified to have reactive vinyl groups by chemical conjugation with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). The vinyl group-containing glycol chitosan (GC-GMA) was characterized by FT-IR and $^1H$-NMR measurements. SPHs have been prepared in various synthetic conditions to establish the optimum synthetic process for making superporous structure, where the inner pores are interconnected to each other to form a open channel structure. Various SPHs with different GC-GMA contents have been successfully prepared and have been observed to show faster swelling properties than other conventional SPHs. From the study on the swelling behavior of SPHs, the GC-GMA content is considered to be an important factor for controlling their swelling properties.

• Clean Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.258-268
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• 2016

In this work, carboxymethylcellulose-based composite superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared by electron beam radiation. The composition of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) varied from 4 wt%, 5 wt%, and 6 wt% to 7 wt% based on the amount of distilled water in the syntheses of hydrogels. Graphite oxide, reduced graphene oxide, activated carbon, and bentonite were used as additives for the synthesis of composite superabsorbent. The effect of CMC composition and the type of additives on the gel properties of the prepared hydrogels was investigated. In order to verify the functional groups in the prepared materials, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used. In addition, mechanical strength, gel fraction, swelling kinetics, and equilibrium swelling ratios were measured for the prepared hydrogels. Swelling experiments were carried out in distilled water, urea solution, and physiological saline water. Prepared hydrogels were reused for 5 times, and gel fraction and swelling ratio were measured at every 24 hours. Among the prepared hydrogels, $C_{5%}GO$ and $C_{5%}rGO$ exhibited excellent mechanical property and relatively high swelling ratios for urea solution and physiological saline water with promising applicability as slow-release fertilizers.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2004

A series of superabsorbents based on acrylic acid (AA), sodium acrylate, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid, N,N'-methylene bis-acrylamide (MBA) were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization. These hydrogels were further crosslinked on the surface with polyethylene glycol-600 (PEG-600). The water absorbency or swelling behaviors for these xerogels in water and 0.9% saline solutions, both under free condition and under load were investigated. Absorption characteristics of these hydrogels were found to depend on nature and concentration of crosslinker in the system. It was also found that the saline absorption was significantly improved as the incorporation of AMPS in the polymer was increased. The surface crosslinking introduced in the polymers was found to improve the absorption under load characteristics without lowering the free water absorption capacities of the polymer to a considerable extent.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.537-543
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• 2008

Crosslinked agar-g-poly(acrylic acid) (x-agar-g-PAA) super absorbent with a water absorbency ($Q_{H2O}$) of approximately 660 g/g was synthesized by the copolymerization of agar with an acrylic acid monomer. KPS and MBA were used as the initiator and crosslinker, respectively. Grafting was performed in air. Infrared spectroscopy was used to identify the product of copolymerization. The optimum conditions to synthesize the x-agar-g-PAA superabsorbent were 0.1 g of agar, 0.1 g of the KPS initiator, for 15 min; 50% AA monomer, 0.005 g of the MBA crosslinker, for a propagation time of 5 min; and 1 M NaOH for 15 min to allow for saponification. The reaction temperature was $80{^\circ}C$.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.314-320
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• 2020

This study focused on experiments with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), which are functional additives for water-expandable rubber. Polychloroprene rubber (CR)/superabsorbent polymer (SAP) composites were prepared and their cure behaviors, mechanical properties, water absorption rates, and surface morphology were measured based on the functional additives applied. When PEG and GMA were applied to the composites, the water absorption rate increased-including the initial rate-compared to that measured when functional additives were not used. The results also show that PEG has a hydrophilic functional group, which allows it to absorb more water, and GMA acts as a coupling agent between CR and SAP. However, with the introduction of functional additives, the cure rate slowed down and the mechanical properties also decreased.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.469-476
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• 2009

In this study, biodegradable superporous hydrogels(SPHs) with fast swelling and superabsorbent properties were prepared using biodegradable crosslinkers and their physicochemical properties were characterized. A biodegradable crosslinker (PLA-PEG-PLA DA) was synthesized by a ring opening polymerization of D,L-lactide (LA) using hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) as a macroinitiator, followed by diacrylation of the end groups for the introduction of polymerizable vinyl groups. Various kinds of hydrogels with different chemical compositions were prepared and characterized in terms of swelling ratio, swelling kinetics, and biodegradation properties. The synthetic results were confirmed by $^1H$-NMR, FT-IR and GPC measurements, and the porous structures of the prepared SPHs and their porosities were identified by a scanning electron microscope and mercury porosimetry, respectively. The physicochemical properties of SPHs could be controlled by varying their chemical compositions and their cytotoxicity were found to be very low by MTT assay.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.97-102
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• 2015

This study aimed to evaluate the potential plantgrowth promoting effects of potassium polyacrylate, a superabsorbent polymer, and Bacillus sp. SH1RP8, a family of plant-growth-promoting bacteria. Potassium polyacrylate was selected as the polymer for use due to its high molecular weight and its ability to retain and continuously supply moisture. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were isolated from the soil and applied to plants growing in dry environments, such as saline conditions. The moisture absorption and retention abilities of potassium polyacrylate were evaluated at a high temperature ($50^{\circ}C$) and in a dry condition, during which time the polymer showed a water retention potential of 19606.07% after 29 days. To overcome the reaming problem in the soil environment, natural polymers (such as cellulose) were mixed with the potassium acrylate. The shoot growths of Peucedanum japonicum Thunb and Arundo donax were significantly enhanced when treated with the mixture of the isolated rhizosphere bacterium SH1RP8 and potassium polyacrylate (63.5 and 124.3%, respectively).