Aboelkhir D M, Ghobashy Mohamed Mohamady, Gayed H M
Radiation Research of Polymer Chemistry Department, National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Cairo, Egypt.
Radiation Research of Polymer Chemistry Department, National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Cairo, Egypt.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Dec;282(Pt 2):136826. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.136826. Epub 2024 Oct 23.
This study reports the synthesis of novel agar/poly methacrylic acid/poly acrylic acid (AG/PMAc/PAc) superabsorbent hydrogels via gamma radiation and their subsequent urea modification to enhance swelling and water retention for agricultural applications. The superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared by irradiating aqueous mixtures of varying agar concentrations with methacrylic acid/acrylic acid (MAc/Ac) monomers, followed by urea treatment at different cycles and concentrations. The morphological characteristics and chemical structures were confirmed by SEM and FTIR, respectively. The maximum swelling occurred at 6 % agar and 1 % urea modification. Remarkably, the 1 % urea-modified hydrogel displayed a 41.1 % swelling increase and 236.4 % enhancement after the second modification cycle compared to unmodified samples. Water retention studies showed the modified hydrogel retained 53.2 % moisture after 14 days versus the complete drying of unmodified hydrogels. Soil application studies demonstrated the modified hydrogel increased moisture content by 177.3 % after 20 days, promoting better growth with 30 % more leaves and 38.9 % higher stem length in Vicia faba plants versus controls. This novel radiation-synthesized, urea-modified hydrogel with exceptional swelling and moisture retention capabilities shows promising potential for sustainable agricultural irrigation and crop productivity enhancement under water-deficit conditions.
本研究报道了通过γ辐射合成新型琼脂/聚甲基丙烯酸/聚丙烯酸（AG/PMAc/PAc）高吸水性水凝胶，以及随后对其进行尿素改性以增强其在农业应用中的溶胀和保水性能。通过用甲基丙烯酸/丙烯酸（MAc/Ac）单体辐照不同琼脂浓度的水性混合物，然后在不同的循环次数和浓度下进行尿素处理，制备了高吸水性水凝胶。分别通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）确认了其形态特征和化学结构。最大溶胀发生在6%琼脂和1%尿素改性条件下。值得注意的是，与未改性样品相比，1%尿素改性的水凝胶在第二次改性循环后溶胀增加了41.1%，增强了236.4%。保水研究表明，改性水凝胶在14天后保留了53.2%的水分，而未改性水凝胶则完全干燥。土壤应用研究表明，改性水凝胶在20天后使蚕豆植株的土壤湿度增加了177.3%，促进了植株更好地生长，叶片数量增加了30%，茎长增加了38.9%。这种新型的辐射合成、尿素改性的水凝胶具有出色的溶胀和保水能力，在缺水条件下的可持续农业灌溉和提高作物生产力方面显示出广阔的应用前景。
