Super Absorbent Polymer Chemistry
Super absorbent polymers are created by physical or chemical cross linking of polymer molecules. There are several processes manufacturers use to create hydrogels with super absorbent qualities. The process used is determined by the application.
Gel polymerization is the most common method of manufacturing super absorbent polymers. Typically, sodium polyacrylate is introduced into a catalytic bath and a reaction is triggered by UV lights. The resulting gel is dried to create polymer granules that can be sorted by particle size, or enhanced with absorbent surface coatings.
Solution polymerization differs from gel polymerization in that the majority of the production process takes place within a water-based reactant bath.
Solution polymerization creates a “wet” super absorbent polymer by combining polymers, a catalyst, and a non-reactive solvent. The resulting super absorbent substrates or wet polymers may be applied to a range of materials.