Roa Karina, Boulett Andrés, Santander Paola, Bruna Julio, Salfate Gabriel, Pizarro Guadalupe Del C, Hu Liqiu, Xu Chunlin, Sánchez Julio
Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 May;305(Pt 2):141154. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.141154. Epub 2025 Feb 16.
The water scarcity crisis is currently deepened by the presence of emerging contaminants, such as amoxicillin (AMX), threatening ecosystems and living beings due to their toxicity and bioaccumulation. Due to this, in the present study, superabsorbent hydrogels reinforced with oxidized cellulose nanocrystals (CCNC) were developed, forming semi-interpenetrated networks with poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS). The CCNCs were obtained by acid hydrolysis and subsequent chemical oxidation to introduce carboxylate groups with two different levels (low and high) of 200 mmol kg (L-CCNC) and 677 mmol kg (H-CCNC), respectively. The effective oxidation of the crystals was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction, where this reaction did not affect their crystallinity, but reduced their thermal stability. While the obtained hydrogels were characterized chemically, thermally, morphologically and mechanically by FTIR, TGA, scanning electron microscopy, hydration and dynamic compression tests. The incorporation of CCNC to PAMPS increased the thermal stability and modified the surface area of the hydrogels. In addition, the maximum hydration capacity reached 4900 % for PAMPS hydrogels with 10 % H-CCNC, maintaining greater flexibility under compression. Finally, in AMX adsorption studies, parameters such as pH, contact time, initial AMX concentration and amount of adsorbent were evaluated. Achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 136 mg g with the possibility of reuse in three consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. These findings highlight the potential of superabsorbent hydrogels reinforced with CCNC as sustainable materials for environmental applications.
新兴污染物（如阿莫西林（AMX））的存在加剧了当前的水资源短缺危机，这些污染物因其毒性和生物累积性而威胁着生态系统和生物。因此，在本研究中，开发了用氧化纤维素纳米晶体（CCNC）增强的超吸水性水凝胶，与聚（2-丙烯酰胺基-2-甲基-1-丙烷磺酸）（PAMPS）形成半互穿网络。CCNC是通过酸水解和随后的化学氧化获得的，分别引入了两种不同水平（低和高）的200 mmol kg（L-CCNC）和677 mmol kg（H-CCNC）的羧基。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、热重分析（TGA）和X射线衍射证实了晶体的有效氧化，该反应不影响其结晶度，但降低了其热稳定性。同时，通过FTIR、TGA、扫描电子显微镜、水化和动态压缩试验对所得水凝胶进行了化学、热、形态和力学表征。将CCNC掺入PAMPS中提高了水凝胶的热稳定性并改变了其表面积。此外，含10% H-CCNC的PAMPS水凝胶的最大水化能力达到4900%，在压缩下保持更大的柔韧性。最后，在AMX吸附研究中，评估了pH值、接触时间、初始AMX浓度和吸附剂用量等参数。实现了136 mg g的最大吸附容量，并有可能在三个连续的吸附-解吸循环中重复使用。这些发现突出了用CCNC增强的超吸水性水凝胶作为环境应用可持续材料的潜力。
