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ARTICLE

Swelling dynamics of Poly (N, N- Dimethylacrylamide - co- Crotonic acid) Hydrogel and Evaluation of its Potential for Controlled Release of Fertilizers

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Laboratory of Polymer Materials, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Sciences and Technology, Houari Boumediene, BP 32, El Alia, Algiers, 16111, Algeria.

* Corresponding Author: e-mail:

Journal of Polymer Materials 2020, 37(1-2), 55-76. https://doi.org/10.32381/JPM.2020.37.1-2.5

Abstract

Poly(N,N-dimethymethylacrylamide -co-crotonic acid) (P(DMA-CAx)) hydrogels were prepared by free radical polymerization, using N,N- methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) as cross-linking agent. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effects of comonomer composition and pH of the medium on the swelling behavior of hydrogels were investigated. The obtained results showed that the swelling capabilities of hydrogels increased as crotonic acid content and pH increased. In order to evaluate the controlled release potential of the polymeric matrix, it was loaded with potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate as fertilizers and the release kinetics was studied as a function of the chemical composition of the hydrogel and the content of the fertilizer. Various kinetic parameters such as the diffusion exponent and diffusion coefficient were also determined. These pH sensitive copolymer hydrogels present a promising approach for controlled release of fertilizers.

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