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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