Preparation and characterization of poly(sodium acrylate/cement clinker) DN hydrogel composites

A series of poly(sodium acrylate)/(cement clinker) [P(NaA‐AA)/CC] double network (DN) hydrogel composites were prepared by solution polymerization at room temperature, using partially neutralized acrylic acid (NaA‐AA) as an organic precursor and cement clinker (CC) as an inorganic precursor, redox system of potassium persulfate/sodium bisulfite (KPS/SHS) as initiator and sorbitol (Sbt) as cross‐linking agent. The polymerization of organics and the hydration of inorganic substances were reflected in the temperature change curve. The FT‐IR spectra and XRD demonstrated that the composite hydrogel was composed of two hydrogels network with opposite characteristic, in which one brittle, rigid silicate C–S–H hydrogel was served as the first network, and another was a soft, ductile P(NaA‐AA) hydrogel as the second network. SEM observed that the inorganic components were uniformly dispersed inside the organic matrix and formed two interpenetrating structures of the composite hydrogel. Effects of CC content on swelling performance and mechanical properties of the organic–inorganic DN hydrogels were also investigated. The results show that the P(NaA‐AA)/CC organic–inorganic DN hydrogel retains a certain degree of swelling capacity while also possessing a certain degree of mechanical strength. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:2462–2472, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers