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Polymer‐clay nanocomposite hydrogels for molecular irrigation application
Author(s) -
Rezazadeh Behnam,
Sirousazar Mohammad,
AbbasiChianeh Vahid,
Kheiri Farshad
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.48631
Subject(s) - nanocomposite , self healing hydrogels , montmorillonite , materials science , polyvinyl alcohol , swelling , polymer , composite material , vinyl alcohol , permeation , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , chemistry , membrane , biochemistry , engineering
Novel nanocomposite hydrogel pipes on the basis of polyvinyl alcohol and montmorillonite (MMT) clay were prepared via a cyclic freezing–thawing technique and designed for subsurface irrigation in the agricultural sector with extraordinarily reduced water consumption. The results showed that the prepared nanocomposite hydrogel pipes had an exfoliated morphology with improved mechanical and thermal properties. It was shown that the gel contents of nanocomposite hydrogel pipes were increased by increasing the loading level of MMT and, in contrast, the swelling and drying abilities decreased. The water permeation and irrigating performances of the prepared pipes were investigated at the laboratory scale by taking into account the effects of the MMT loading levels in nanocomposite hydrogels and the thickness of pipes. The results indicated a significant decrease in water consumption in nanocomposite hydrogel pipes compared to the pure hydrogel pipe. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137 , 48631.