Radiation synthesis and characterization of super absorbent hydrogels for controlled release of some agrochemicals

Superabsorbent copolymers of carboxymethyl cellulose/polyacrylamide (CMC/PAM) and carboxymethyl celullose/polyacrylamide/silica (CMC/PAM/Si) were synthesized using a γ-irradiation technique. The effects of irradiation dose, content of CMC, AM, and Si on swelling percentage of the produced hydrogels were evaluated. It was found that the maximum swelling percent increased dramatically up to 12,000 % at pH 12 with increasing content of silica up to 5 % in the CMC/PAM/Si composite hydrogel. The prepared copolymers were characterized by FTIR, and SEM techniques. In order to evaluate their controlled release potentials, different hydrogels were loaded with potassium nitrate (KNO3), and the release of the KNO3 was studied and evaluated at various pH values.