Summary: The burgeoning polymer based industries
are shifting focus to more environmentally friendly, non-toxic,
less expensive and easily compatible biopolymer based materials.
Starch is strategic in this regard because it is cheap and readily
available. However, starch in its native form has very limited
functionality that could stimulate any meaningful technical applications.
In this investigation, the synthesis of etherified starch was
carried out and by careful selection of cross-linking reagent,
functional hydrogel, which have the capacity to absorb large amount
of water, were prepared. These hydrogels could be used in place
of the hydrogels based on synthetic polymers like poly acrylic
acid. Specific applications of the hydrogels are in production
of diapers, incontinence articles, sanitary products for fluid
absorption as well as in ultrasonic gel. Furthermore, the hydrogels
were characterised by rheological small amplitude oscillatory
shear measurements (SAOS) to reveal essential information concerning
the viscoelastic properties and the network parameters of the
materials.
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(*) Biodata: Dr. OlayideLawal
is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Chemical Sciences, Olabisi
Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria, where he heads the macromolecular
chemistry unit. Currently, he is the Sub-Dean (postgraduate) of
the university. He completed his Ph.D in Industrial Chemistry
at University of Ibadan in 2004. He is a fellow of Alexander von
Humboldt foundation of Germany. He has received many local and
International awards. Recently, he was recognised by the National
University Commission of Nigeria as the second most active researcher
in Nigerian Universities. His
area of research is on synthesis, characterisation and value-added
industrial applications of biopolymers.
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