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Poly(acrylic acid)
Name
M.RASHID
Roll No
314

M13-

Semester

5 th

Metallurgy and Materials Engineering

Department
University Of The Punjab
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Introduction
Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA or Carbomer) is generic name for synthetic high molecular
weight polymers of acrylic acid.
A super-absorbent (SAP) or polyacrylic acid was patented in 1966 by Gene Harper
of Dow Chemical and Carlyle Harmon of Johnson & Johnson. It was first used in
diapers in 1982 in Japan.
Molecular mass is variable

IUPAC Name

Characteristics

(prop-2-enoic

acid (poly)
(C3H4O2)n

Monomer
Acrylic acid
C3H4O2

Colour less liquid at room temperature

and pressure.an irretating acidic odor.
Polymerises easily and high exothermic
reaction when exposes to heat..
Strong corresive agent to many metals
like copper and brass.
Super absorbant polymer.
Difficult to handle under inert
atmosphere

 Polymerization Method
Acrylic acid is often polymerized by the ADDITION POLYMERIZATION METHOD.
The suitable process for addition polymerization of acrylic acid is EMULSION
PROCESS IN WATER.
The initiator( Organic per oxide) is water soluble and free radicals and the
monomers diffuse into the hydrophobic interior of micelles while water is attracted
to hydrophilic exterior zone.

Can also be polymerized by bulk production process using a pure

monomer. But this method is not general or typical method of
polymerization for Acrylic acid.

 Grades

Physical Properties

1. Technical grade (94%)

For esterification
2.Glacial grade (98-99.5% by
weight and maximum of 0.3
%water by weight)
For production of water soluble
resins.

pH for 1%
in water is
2.7 to 3.0

About crystallinity of PAA???

It is brittle in nature
At temperatures above 200 to 250oC, it loses
water and becomes an insoluble crosslinked
polymer anhydride. Solubility of dried PAA in
water increases with rise in temperatures

Tg

106oC

TD

246-275oC

Chemical Resistance

Readily
react

H2O Absorption

120 ml/ 4 -5
gram

Corrosive resistance

Good

Polyacrylic acid is very

hydrophilic - it attracts
water. That's because of
the carboxylic acid groups
(COOH) in the polymer,
which can hydrogen-bond
to water molecules.
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 Commercial Availability
PAA in the form of white and fluffy
powder having very fine
Particles .it has the ability to swell
water many times than its weight
Also avaible in the form of liquid.

Processing Techniques
Water emulsion process
Injection molding
Extrusion

 Applications
Poly(acrylic acid) is used in detergents to remove
calcium and magnesium ions from the water, thus
softening it. This has meant that phosphates need
not be used for this purpose thus producing a much
more environmentally friendly detergent.
In Figure: The child's shoes are made of a fabric
with pores which allow air to circulate around the
feet. They are lined with a fleece made of
poly(acrylic acid). In the wet, the polymer soaks up
the water and expands, sealing the shoe, making it
watertight. When dry, the water evaporates and
the polymer contracts allowing the fleece to become
porous to air.
Poly acrylic acid and its derivatives are used in
disposable diapers,[1] ion exchange resins and
adhesives. They are also popular as a thickening,
dispersing, suspending and emulsifying agents in
pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and paints

 Limitations
Reacts immensly when exposes to heat,metals etc.
Not easy to control under inert conditions .
No resistance to solvent(water ) highly brittle with high concentration..

Recent Research

1. a crosslinked poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite superabsor- bent composite

with a water absorbency greater than 1000 g H2O/g was synthesized, which
has a compo- sition of 0.2 wt % of crosslinker, 1.0 wt % of initiator, 10 wt %
of attapulgite, a neutralization degree of 60%, and a reaction temperature
of 70C. It was also found that crosslinked poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite
super- absorbent composite is characterized by good water retention under
load. This excellent water absorbency and water retention under load may
be especially useful in agricultural. (fig.1)

2. PAA was selected to prepare the bioadhesive specimen adhering to

mucosal surfaces using a radiation process. An aqueous PAA solution was
easily crosslinked by electron beam radiation. It was shown that
poly(acrylic acid)-based drug carriers were successfully prepared for use in
a bioadhesive drug delivery system

Fig.1

Water retention of swollen

samples as a function of
time at 60 and 100C.

Fig.2

Effect of irradiation dose

on the swell percent of
the crosslinked
poly(acrylic acid)
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 Conclusion

PAA is of great importance polymer due to its super

absorption and retention quality. And in future it will be
of great importance also, because it is the best material
which gives the derivatives that are highly resistant to
the corrosion. So it is replacing the other expensive
coating materials.
Morever its high water retension power is of great
importance

An
An
y
y

Thank

Question
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