Highly absorbent graft copolymers of polyhydroxy polymers, acrylonitrile, and acrylic comonomers

摘要

Absorbent compositions comprising graft copolymers of acrylonitrile and starch, or related polyhydroxy polymers, are prepared by improved methods of synthesis. Mixing the acrylonitrile with selected water-soluble acrylic comonomers enables unexpected improvements including reduction of the saponification time, total elimination of the base-saponification step, elimination of the starch gelatinization step, preparation of products which absorb large amounts of aqueous fluids under highly acidic conditions, and preparation of products which absorb over 5000 times their weight of deionized water.