Free Radical Copolymerization of Diallylamine and Itaconic Acid for the Synthesis of Chitosan Base Superabsorbent

Copolymerization of diallylamine (DAA) and itaconic acid (IA) was synthesized using benzoyl peroxide as a free radical initiator, in dioxane as the solvent. The composition of the copolymer was determined by the nitrogen content using Edx. The solubility of the copolymer was also investigated. The water solubility of the synthesized copolymer depends on the comonomers’ ratio. The structure of the copolymer was confirmed by (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. To increase the water insolubility of the copolymers, and keep their hydrophilicity, the copolymer was allowed to react with chitosan to form a superabsorbent polymeric material (SP). The structure of the synthesized superabsorbent was confirmed using (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. The thermal property of the (SP) was also investigated by TGA. The investigation of the chitosan-based superabsorbent, as water-retaining agents, was studied. The results revealed that the superabsorbent polymers exhibited a good swelling ability and salt tolerance.