Traditional Water Absorbing Materials
When thinking about water absorbing materials, common examples such as cotton, napkins, sponges, anhydrous calcium chloride, soda lime, allochroic silica gel, and activated carbon may come to mind. However, these materials typically absorb only several to dozens of times their weight in water and often release the absorbed water under pressure.
Is there a water absorbing material that can absorb a substantial amount of water even under pressure?
Sodium Polyacrylate
Sodium polyacrylate is a material capable of absorbing hundreds of times its weight in water. Upon absorption, this substance transforms into a water gel that can retain water strongly, even under pressure.
Water Absorbing Materials Advantages
- High Absorption Capacity: Sodium polyacrylate can absorb approximately 500-1000 times its weight in water, distinguishing it significantly from traditional absorbing materials.
- High Absorbent Rate: This material absorbs water rapidly, often within seconds, making absorbent rate a crucial factor for absorption materials.
- Strong Liquid Locking Ability: As previously mentioned, sodium polyacrylate’s strong liquid locking ability is why it is increasingly used in products like diapers as the absorbing material.
- Non-toxic: Sodium polyacrylate is completely non-toxic and harmless. This innovative material is already used in medical applications such as artificial vitreous and artificial skin.
- Non-polluting: Sodium polyacrylate is environmentally friendly and decomposes into water, carbon dioxide, and ammonia.
This remarkable combination of properties makes sodium polyacrylate an exceptional water absorbing material with a wide range of applications.