A Novel N‐Succinylchitosan‐graft‐Polyacrylamide/Attapulgite Composite Hydrogel Prepared through Inverse Suspension Polymerization

A novel N‐succinylchitosan‐graft‐polyacrylamide/attapulgite composite hydrogel was prepared by using N‐succinylchitosan, acrylamide and attapulgite through inverse suspension polymerization. The result from FTIR spectra showed that OH of attapulgite, OH and NHCO of N‐succinylchitosan participated in graft polymerization with acrylamide. The introduced attapulgite could enhance thermal stability of the hydrogel. Scanning electron microscopy observation indicates that the composite hydrogel has a microporous surface. The volume ratio of heptane to water, weight ratio of acrylamide to N‐succinylchitosan and attapulgite content have great influence on swelling ability of the composite hydrogel. The composite hydrogel shows higher swelling rate and pH‐sensitivity compared to that of without attapulgite. magnified image