Com a alta taxa de desertificação dos solos e a necessidade de irrigação constante dos plantios, existe a necessidade da criação de um polímero superabsorvente (SAP) com a característica de ser biodegradável. Observando o estágio tecnológico relacionado às atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento de SAPs no Brasil, foi utilizado o poli (álcool vinílico)/PVA e o amido de mandioca para a formação de hidrogéis a partir de blendas poliméricas. Assim, soluções aquosas desses polímeros foram reticuladas quimicamente, usando o glutaraldeído como agente reticulante e comparadas com amostras reticuladas por radiação gama, irradiadas a uma dose de 25 kgy. Os hidrogéis resultantes foram caracterizados por diversas técnicas analíticas como a fração gel, o intumescimento em água destilada, a espectroscopia de infravermelho com refletância total atenuada ATR (FT-IR), a termogravimetria (TG/DTG), a calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) e a microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Observou-se uma maior reticulação nos hidrogéis reticulados com o glutaraldeído e em consequência um menor grau de intumescimento quando comparadas com as amostras que foram irradiadas. Com vias a produzir hidrogéis em uma escala industrial, misturas de PVA e amido foram processadas por extrusão reativa, mudando assim o processo de preparação de solução aquosa para misturas secas. Foram extrudadas amostras de PVA com diferentes pesos moleculares tais como o PVA 26-88, o PVA 40-88, o PVA 110-99 e o poli (ácido glioxílico vinílico)/PVGA, este último sintetizado a partir da modificação do PVA 110-99. Foi adicionado na mistura o ácido glioxílico no desenvolvimento do SAP por reticulação química nas amostras do PVA, por ter grupos carboxílicos que podem aumentar o intumescimento e também servir como agente reticulante. Também foram feitas formulações de extrusão sem o ácido glioxílico para serem usados como brancos. Adicionou-se nas misturas diversos agentes plastificantes como a glicerina e o polietilenoglicol (PEG 400) e as propriedades mecânicas foram estudadas. Foram desenvolvidas duas análises fatoriais de 23 para analisar as mudanças na reticulação das formulações. Os pellets foram caracterizados com as mesmas técnicas analíticas que os hidrogéis feitos em solução, adicionando-se análises de intumescimento e reversibilidade de intumescimento em diversos solventes como a água pura, a água da chuva, as soluções tampão de pH 3, pH 7 e pH 10, além de soro fisiológico, visando a aplicação em diferentes solos com diferentes pH e salinidades. Os testes de intumescimento em diferentes sais demonstraram a ter menor retenção de água quando comparada com água pura. Os testes de reversibilidade de intumescimento dos pellets mostraram que a maioria das formulações perde a sua capacidade de intumescimento máximo aos seis primeiros ciclos. Foi feita a compressão dos pellets para observar a flexibilidade dos mesmos, visando aplicações debaixo do solo. Realizou-se um estudo de biodegradação em terra ao longo de 120 dias, e estudou-se a relação direta com os valores da fração gel. Os resultados mostraram que os pellets menos reticulados intumesceram mais, enquanto as microscopias mostraram que essas amostras tinham uma morfologia mais porosa, o que contribuiu na melhora na retenção do líquido. Além disso, eram mais flexíveis e biodegradaram mais rápido, sendo extremamente viáveis para a aplicação na agricultura. Foi verificado que o PVA 40-88 apresentou os melhores valores de intumescimento em diferentes sais. Com o SAP obtido, foi constatado que a extrusão reativa é um método viável para a produção dos SAPs. / With high soil desertification rate and the need for constant irrigation of the plantations, there is the need to create a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) with the characteristic of being biodegradable. Noting the technological stage related to research and development activities of SAPs in Brazil, we used poly (vinyl alcohol)/PVA and cassava starch for the formation of hydrogels from polymer blends. Thus, aqueous solutions of these polymers were chemically crosslinked using glutaraldehyde as crosslinking agent and compared to samples cross-linked by gamma irradiation, irradiated the a dose of 25 kgy. The resulting hydrogels were characterized by various analytical techniques such as gel fraction, swelling in distilled water, infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There was a higher crosslink in the hydrogels crosslinked with glutaraldehyde and consequently a lower degree of swelling as compared to samples that were irradiated. With routes to produce hydrogels on an industrial scale, PVA and starch mixtures were processed by reactive extrusion, thus changing the aqueous solution preparation process to dry mix. PVA samples were extruded with different molecular weights such as PVA 26-88, PVA 40-88, PVA 110-99 and poly (vinyl glyoxylic acid)/PVGA, the latter synthesized from the modified PVA 110-99. It was added to the mixture glyoxylic acid in the SAP development by chemical crosslinking of the PVA sample for having carboxyl groups that may increase the swelling and also serve as crosslinker. Also extrusion formulations were made without the glyoxylic acid to be used as white. Was added to the mixture, various plasticizers such as glycerin and polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) and the mechanical properties were studied. two factor analyzes were developed from 23 to analyze the changes in crosslinking formulations. The pellets were characterized with the same analytical techniques that hydrogels made in solution by adding analyzes swelling and swelling of reversibility in various solvents such as pure water, rain water, pH buffer solutions 3, pH 7 and pH 10, in addition to saline solution, aimed at application in different soils with different salinities and pH. swelling tests at different salts shown to have lower water retention when compared to pure water. The pellets reversibility of the swelling tests showed that most formulations loses its swelling capacity up to the first six cycles. The compression of the pellets was taken to observe their flexibility, targeting applications underground. We conducted a study of biodegradation on land over 120 days, and studied the direct relationship with the gel fraction values. The results showed that the pellets swelled more crosslinked least while microscopy showed that these samples had a more porous morphology, which contributed to the improvement in fluid retention. Moreover, they are more flexible and biodegrade more rapidly and are extremely viable for use in agriculture. It has been found that PVA 40-88 showed better swelling values at different salts. With SAP obtained, it was found that the reactive extrusion is a viable method for the production of SAPs.

Hidrogéis (redes poliméricas tridimensionais capazes de absorver grandes quantidades de água) micro e nanoestruturados têm grande potencial como biomateriais em aplicações tais como dispositivos de liberação de fármacos e agentes embólicos. Neste trabalho foram estudadas técnicas de produção desses hidrogéis micro e nanoestruturados à base de poli(N-vinil-2-pirrolidona) (PVP), a partir da reticulação do polímero através de reações de Fenton, foto-Fenton e fotólise direta. Microgéis de PVP foram obtidos a partir da reticulação de esferas obtidas por eletropulverização ou de gotículas de solução aquosa do polímero em emulsão a/o. No primeiro caso, obtiveram-se partículas que, quando reticuladas com a reação de Fenton durante o processo de eletropulverização, apresentaram formato indefinido. No segundo caso, foram obtidas microesferas de PVP, tanto pela reticulação com a reação de Fenton, obtendo-se partículas menores da - ordem de 1 µm - como com a reação de foto-Fenton, que gerou partículas maiores de - 34 µm. Hidrogéis sub-micrométricos foram obtidos a partir da formatação em vesículas de lecitina e reticulados por meio da reação de foto-Fenton. Essas vesículas foram capazes de encapsular grande quantidade de polímero, mesmo sendo este de alta massa molar média. Os hidrogéis sintetizados apresentam estreita distribuição de diâmetro, porém sem forma definida e com baixo índice de intumescimento. Por fim, nanogéis (nanopartículas de hidrogéis) foram obtidos da reticulação de PVP com a reação de Fenton (Fe2+ na presença de H2O2), utilizando como sistema formatador o interior aquoso de micelas reversas de CTAB. Os nanogéis assim formados são esféricos e apresentam propriedades interessantes, como fator de intumescimento de até 6000, inédito na literatura, que os colocam na categoria de hidrogéis superabsorventes. Além disso, o intumescimento é passível de controle tanto pela remoção dos íons Fe3+ complexados, como pela acidez e composição iônica do meio. Durante o desenvolvimento da síntese dos nanogéis foi possível estudar a influência do Fe3+ na estruturação da solução polimérica e do hidrogel. Além disso, a cinética da reticulação do polímero dentro das micelas e uma comparação entre dois sistemas micelares diferentes na formatação do nanogel foram analisados. A análise do produto também permitiu constatar a baixa toxicidade do material obtido com testes in vitro utilizando macrófagos e fibroblastos. / Micro and nanostructured hydrogels (three-dimensional polymeric networks capable of absorbing large amounts of water) have great potential as biomaterials in applications such as drug delivery devices and embolic agents. In this work techniques to produce micro and nanostructured hydrogels from poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) were studied from various crosslinking reactions like Fenton, photo-Fenton and direct photolysis. PVP microgels were obtained from crosslinking of polymer spheres obtained by electrospraying a polymer solution or from droplets of aqueous polymer solution in w/o emulsion. In the first case, particles were obtained that, when crosslinked with the Fenton reaction, showed undefined morphology. In the second case, spherical PVP hydrogel microparticles were obtained, which were formed by crosslinking with Fenton reaction, resulting in smaller particles - about 1µm - while with photo-Fenton reaction it generated larger particles - about 34 µm. Sub-micrometric hydrogels were obtained from lecithin vesicles as formatting system through crosslinking with photo-Fenton reaction. These vesicles were able to encapsulate large amounts of polymer, in spite of its high average molecular weight. Hydrogels synthesized by this method are formless, with narrow diameter distribution and low swelling properties. Finally, nanogels (hydrogel nanoparticles) were obtained from crosslinking of PVP by the Fenton reaction (Fe2+ in presence of H2O2), using aqueous pool of CTAB reverse micelles as formatting system. The thus formed nanogels are spherical and present interesting properties such as swelling ratio of 6000, a level unreported in literature, which classifies them as superabsorbent hydrogels. Moreover, the swelling is susceptible to control either by the removal of complexed Fe3+ ions or by acidity and ionic composition of the medium. During the nanogels synthesis development, the influence of Fe3+ in the arrangement of the polymer solution and of the hydrogel was studied. Morever, the polymer crosslinking kinetics inside the micelles and a comparison between two different micellar systems in formatting of nanogel were analyzed. The product analysis also revealed low toxicity of the obtained material by in vitro experiments using macrophages and fibroblasts.

The present work is synthesizing novel protein-based superabsorbent hydrogels from albumin protein (AP) and isolated zygomycetes protein (IZP) via modification with an acylating reagent and a bifunctional crosslinker, also investigation on their swelling behaviors under some conditions. The hydrophilic acylating reagent was introduced into albumin and zygomycetes proteins and hydrophylicity of albumin and isolated zygomycetes protein were increased by ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD). Provided protein hydrogels through this method include modification of lysyl residues in the unfolded proteins via adding of one or more hydrophilic carboxyl groups. The reaction was developed with a dialdehyde crosslinking reagent (glutaraldehyde) in order to stabilize the modified protein configuration. The maximum capacity of EDTAD-AP hydrogel swelling was observed 296 g water per g of dry gel, and for EDTAD-IZP hydrogel was 87 g water per g of dry gel.In this study, effect of selected physical and chemical parameters such as protein structure, extent of modification, protein concentration, various pH, ionic strength, gel particle size, temperature as important factors affecting the water uptake behavior of superabsorbent hydrogel were investigated. In addition, the effect of some organic solvents particularly absolute ethanol for increasing the swelling properties was studied. / Uppsatsnivå: D

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2017-02-09T14:38:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Angélica Koppe_.pdf: 2328574 bytes, checksum: d353be1d4946babddf72b551a2536afa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-09T14:38:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angélica Koppe_.pdf: 2328574 bytes, checksum: d353be1d4946babddf72b551a2536afa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-21 / Plásticos Brandt Ltda / A falta de cura adequada e, consequentemente, os problemas de má hidratação do cimento e manifestações patológicas, como retração e fissuras, estão entre os principais responsáveis pela redução da durabilidade de estruturas de concreto. Aliados ao aumento da velocidade de execução das obras, esses tendem a piorar uma vez que há falhas recorrentes nas atividades de pós-concretagem. A cura, com o objetivo de manter a umidade necessária para a correta hidratação do cimento e minimização da retração, vem evoluindo para um novo campo de pesquisa, a técnica da cura interna. Essa se baseia na incorporação, a uma matriz cimentícia, de materiais capazes de reter água e liberá-la de forma gradativa ao logo do período de cura. Seu estudo tem sido voltado basicamente para o uso em concretos de alto desempenho, contudo, concretos convencionais também são frequentemente negligenciados na prática de cura úmida e tendem a evoluir para essa tecnologia. Entre os materiais mais estudados, os polímeros superabsorventes (PSA) têm apresentado desempenho satisfatório como agentes de cura interna, apresentando-se como reservatórios internos de água dispersos na matriz. Esses polímeros foram apresentados à indústria da construção civil em 2001, já na prática de cura interna, com o intuito de melhorar a durabilidade das estruturas, diminuir a retração e melhorar a hidratação das partículas de cimento, agindo de dentro para fora. Mesmo com a desvantagem de gerar poros internos, seu uso apresenta vantagens quanto ao efeito plastificante, com capacidade de reduzir a relação a/c e a retração do concreto. Dentre os estudos publicados até o momento, entretanto, não se tem registros do uso de PSA de origem residual. Sendo assim, o presente estudo objetiva avaliar a viabilidade de uso de PSA residual (FCPSA), composto de fibra celulósica e PSA, proveniente de empresas de produtos de higiene, em matrizes cimentícias como agente de cura interna, buscando melhores características microestruturais. Foram realizadas análises de absorção de água e efeito plastificante do FCPSA, de resistência mecânica e retração ao longo do tempo em argamassas curadas a 100%, 60% e 30% de umidade relativa (UR), e análises de fissuração e retração inicial, até a idade de 24h, em matrizes com cimentos Portland CP II-F 40 e CP IV 32. Os resultados mostram que o FCPSA melhora a trabalhabilidade das argamassas em estado fresco, quando adicionado pré-saturado, possibilitando uma redução da relação a/c em ambos os tipos de cimento. No estado endurecido, o FCSA (a) atua principalmente na minimização de fissuração inicial, podendo reduzir a área fissurada em até 22,5% para o cimento CP II-F e 76,2% para o CP IV 32; (b) atua na redução de retração em condições de temperatura elevada e baixa umidade relativa e (c) apresenta resistências à compressão similares às argamassas referência, com dosagem calculada, para ambos os cimentos. / The lack of adequate curing conditions, and related problems such as poor hydration, shrinkage and cracking, are among the main reasons for the reduction in durability of reinforced concrete structures. Considering the increasingly tight schedules practiced in current building construction projects, these reasons tend to worsen once there are recurring failures in the post-concrete placement and finishing activities. Concrete curing, which aims to keep adequate moisture conditions for the proper hydration of cement and to minimize shrinkage and cracking, has been evolving into a new field of research: the practice of internal curing. This is based on the incorporation, into a cement matrix, of materials able to retain water and release it in a gradual manner during the curing period. Most internal curing studies conducted so far have focused primarily on high performance concretes; however, conventional concretes are often neglected in the practice of proper wet curing and also tend to evolve and apply this technology. Among the most studied materials in this context, superabsorbent polymers (SAP) have presented satisfactory performance as an internal curing agent, presenting themselves as internal water reservoirs dispersed throughout the matrix. They were presented to the construction industry in 2001, as internal curing agents, employed to improve the durability of the structures, reduce shrinkage and promote better hydration of the cement particles. Even with the disadvantage of generating internal voids, its use presents advantages due to its plasticizing effect (when pre-saturated), with a capacity to reduce w/c ratio and shrinkage. Among the studies published so far, there are no records of the use of residual SAP. The objective of this study is to evaluate the technical feasibility of using residual SAP (FCSAP), composed of cellulose fiber and SAP, from hygiene products companies, in conventional cement matrices as an internal curing agent. The RSAP absorption and plasticizing effects were evaluated, as well as mechanical strength and shrinkage in mortars cured at 100%, 60% and 30% relative humidity (RH), in addition to analysis of cracking and plastic shrinkage up to 24h, for two types of cements (CP II-F and CP IV). Results show that the use of RSAP as an internal curing agent improves the workability of fresh mortars when added pre-saturated, thus allowing a reduction of w/c ratio for a given workability. In the hardened state: (a) it works mainly in the minimization of initial cracking, being able to reduce the cracked area by up to 22.5% for CP II-F and 76.18% for CP IV; (b) acts in the reduction of shrinkage in high temperature and low relative humidity conditions; and (c) presents similar compressive strengths to the control mortars, when mixed in proper amounts, for both types of cement tested.

abstract: “Smart” materials are used for a broad range of application including electronics, bio-medical devices, and smart clothing. This work focuses on development of smart self-sealing and breathable protective gear for soldiers against Chemical Weapon Agents (CWA). Specifically, the response of chemo-mechanical swelling polymer modified meshes to contact with stimuli droplets was studied. Theoretical discussion of the mechanism of smart materials is followed by development and experimental analysis of different modified mesh designs. A multi-physics model is proposed based on experimental data and the prototype of the fabric is tested in aerosol impingement conditions to confirm the barrier formed by rapid-self-sealing feature of the design. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Mechanical Engineering 2016

Hidrogéis (redes poliméricas tridimensionais capazes de absorver grandes quantidades de água) micro e nanoestruturados têm grande potencial como biomateriais em aplicações tais como dispositivos de liberação de fármacos e agentes embólicos. Neste trabalho foram estudadas técnicas de produção desses hidrogéis micro e nanoestruturados à base de poli(N-vinil-2-pirrolidona) (PVP), a partir da reticulação do polímero através de reações de Fenton, foto-Fenton e fotólise direta. Microgéis de PVP foram obtidos a partir da reticulação de esferas obtidas por eletropulverização ou de gotículas de solução aquosa do polímero em emulsão a/o. No primeiro caso, obtiveram-se partículas que, quando reticuladas com a reação de Fenton durante o processo de eletropulverização, apresentaram formato indefinido. No segundo caso, foram obtidas microesferas de PVP, tanto pela reticulação com a reação de Fenton, obtendo-se partículas menores da - ordem de 1 µm - como com a reação de foto-Fenton, que gerou partículas maiores de - 34 µm. Hidrogéis sub-micrométricos foram obtidos a partir da formatação em vesículas de lecitina e reticulados por meio da reação de foto-Fenton. Essas vesículas foram capazes de encapsular grande quantidade de polímero, mesmo sendo este de alta massa molar média. Os hidrogéis sintetizados apresentam estreita distribuição de diâmetro, porém sem forma definida e com baixo índice de intumescimento. Por fim, nanogéis (nanopartículas de hidrogéis) foram obtidos da reticulação de PVP com a reação de Fenton (Fe2+ na presença de H2O2), utilizando como sistema formatador o interior aquoso de micelas reversas de CTAB. Os nanogéis assim formados são esféricos e apresentam propriedades interessantes, como fator de intumescimento de até 6000, inédito na literatura, que os colocam na categoria de hidrogéis superabsorventes. Além disso, o intumescimento é passível de controle tanto pela remoção dos íons Fe3+ complexados, como pela acidez e composição iônica do meio. Durante o desenvolvimento da síntese dos nanogéis foi possível estudar a influência do Fe3+ na estruturação da solução polimérica e do hidrogel. Além disso, a cinética da reticulação do polímero dentro das micelas e uma comparação entre dois sistemas micelares diferentes na formatação do nanogel foram analisados. A análise do produto também permitiu constatar a baixa toxicidade do material obtido com testes in vitro utilizando macrófagos e fibroblastos. / Micro and nanostructured hydrogels (three-dimensional polymeric networks capable of absorbing large amounts of water) have great potential as biomaterials in applications such as drug delivery devices and embolic agents. In this work techniques to produce micro and nanostructured hydrogels from poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) were studied from various crosslinking reactions like Fenton, photo-Fenton and direct photolysis. PVP microgels were obtained from crosslinking of polymer spheres obtained by electrospraying a polymer solution or from droplets of aqueous polymer solution in w/o emulsion. In the first case, particles were obtained that, when crosslinked with the Fenton reaction, showed undefined morphology. In the second case, spherical PVP hydrogel microparticles were obtained, which were formed by crosslinking with Fenton reaction, resulting in smaller particles - about 1µm - while with photo-Fenton reaction it generated larger particles - about 34 µm. Sub-micrometric hydrogels were obtained from lecithin vesicles as formatting system through crosslinking with photo-Fenton reaction. These vesicles were able to encapsulate large amounts of polymer, in spite of its high average molecular weight. Hydrogels synthesized by this method are formless, with narrow diameter distribution and low swelling properties. Finally, nanogels (hydrogel nanoparticles) were obtained from crosslinking of PVP by the Fenton reaction (Fe2+ in presence of H2O2), using aqueous pool of CTAB reverse micelles as formatting system. The thus formed nanogels are spherical and present interesting properties such as swelling ratio of 6000, a level unreported in literature, which classifies them as superabsorbent hydrogels. Moreover, the swelling is susceptible to control either by the removal of complexed Fe3+ ions or by acidity and ionic composition of the medium. During the nanogels synthesis development, the influence of Fe3+ in the arrangement of the polymer solution and of the hydrogel was studied. Morever, the polymer crosslinking kinetics inside the micelles and a comparison between two different micellar systems in formatting of nanogel were analyzed. The product analysis also revealed low toxicity of the obtained material by in vitro experiments using macrophages and fibroblasts.

Com a alta taxa de desertificação dos solos e a necessidade de irrigação constante dos plantios, existe a necessidade da criação de um polímero superabsorvente (SAP) com a característica de ser biodegradável. Observando o estágio tecnológico relacionado às atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento de SAPs no Brasil, foi utilizado o poli (álcool vinílico)/PVA e o amido de mandioca para a formação de hidrogéis a partir de blendas poliméricas. Assim, soluções aquosas desses polímeros foram reticuladas quimicamente, usando o glutaraldeído como agente reticulante e comparadas com amostras reticuladas por radiação gama, irradiadas a uma dose de 25 kgy. Os hidrogéis resultantes foram caracterizados por diversas técnicas analíticas como a fração gel, o intumescimento em água destilada, a espectroscopia de infravermelho com refletância total atenuada ATR (FT-IR), a termogravimetria (TG/DTG), a calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) e a microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Observou-se uma maior reticulação nos hidrogéis reticulados com o glutaraldeído e em consequência um menor grau de intumescimento quando comparadas com as amostras que foram irradiadas. Com vias a produzir hidrogéis em uma escala industrial, misturas de PVA e amido foram processadas por extrusão reativa, mudando assim o processo de preparação de solução aquosa para misturas secas. Foram extrudadas amostras de PVA com diferentes pesos moleculares tais como o PVA 26-88, o PVA 40-88, o PVA 110-99 e o poli (ácido glioxílico vinílico)/PVGA, este último sintetizado a partir da modificação do PVA 110-99. Foi adicionado na mistura o ácido glioxílico no desenvolvimento do SAP por reticulação química nas amostras do PVA, por ter grupos carboxílicos que podem aumentar o intumescimento e também servir como agente reticulante. Também foram feitas formulações de extrusão sem o ácido glioxílico para serem usados como brancos. Adicionou-se nas misturas diversos agentes plastificantes como a glicerina e o polietilenoglicol (PEG 400) e as propriedades mecânicas foram estudadas. Foram desenvolvidas duas análises fatoriais de 23 para analisar as mudanças na reticulação das formulações. Os pellets foram caracterizados com as mesmas técnicas analíticas que os hidrogéis feitos em solução, adicionando-se análises de intumescimento e reversibilidade de intumescimento em diversos solventes como a água pura, a água da chuva, as soluções tampão de pH 3, pH 7 e pH 10, além de soro fisiológico, visando a aplicação em diferentes solos com diferentes pH e salinidades. Os testes de intumescimento em diferentes sais demonstraram a ter menor retenção de água quando comparada com água pura. Os testes de reversibilidade de intumescimento dos pellets mostraram que a maioria das formulações perde a sua capacidade de intumescimento máximo aos seis primeiros ciclos. Foi feita a compressão dos pellets para observar a flexibilidade dos mesmos, visando aplicações debaixo do solo. Realizou-se um estudo de biodegradação em terra ao longo de 120 dias, e estudou-se a relação direta com os valores da fração gel. Os resultados mostraram que os pellets menos reticulados intumesceram mais, enquanto as microscopias mostraram que essas amostras tinham uma morfologia mais porosa, o que contribuiu na melhora na retenção do líquido. Além disso, eram mais flexíveis e biodegradaram mais rápido, sendo extremamente viáveis para a aplicação na agricultura. Foi verificado que o PVA 40-88 apresentou os melhores valores de intumescimento em diferentes sais. Com o SAP obtido, foi constatado que a extrusão reativa é um método viável para a produção dos SAPs. / With high soil desertification rate and the need for constant irrigation of the plantations, there is the need to create a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) with the characteristic of being biodegradable. Noting the technological stage related to research and development activities of SAPs in Brazil, we used poly (vinyl alcohol)/PVA and cassava starch for the formation of hydrogels from polymer blends. Thus, aqueous solutions of these polymers were chemically crosslinked using glutaraldehyde as crosslinking agent and compared to samples cross-linked by gamma irradiation, irradiated the a dose of 25 kgy. The resulting hydrogels were characterized by various analytical techniques such as gel fraction, swelling in distilled water, infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There was a higher crosslink in the hydrogels crosslinked with glutaraldehyde and consequently a lower degree of swelling as compared to samples that were irradiated. With routes to produce hydrogels on an industrial scale, PVA and starch mixtures were processed by reactive extrusion, thus changing the aqueous solution preparation process to dry mix. PVA samples were extruded with different molecular weights such as PVA 26-88, PVA 40-88, PVA 110-99 and poly (vinyl glyoxylic acid)/PVGA, the latter synthesized from the modified PVA 110-99. It was added to the mixture glyoxylic acid in the SAP development by chemical crosslinking of the PVA sample for having carboxyl groups that may increase the swelling and also serve as crosslinker. Also extrusion formulations were made without the glyoxylic acid to be used as white. Was added to the mixture, various plasticizers such as glycerin and polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) and the mechanical properties were studied. two factor analyzes were developed from 23 to analyze the changes in crosslinking formulations. The pellets were characterized with the same analytical techniques that hydrogels made in solution by adding analyzes swelling and swelling of reversibility in various solvents such as pure water, rain water, pH buffer solutions 3, pH 7 and pH 10, in addition to saline solution, aimed at application in different soils with different salinities and pH. swelling tests at different salts shown to have lower water retention when compared to pure water. The pellets reversibility of the swelling tests showed that most formulations loses its swelling capacity up to the first six cycles. The compression of the pellets was taken to observe their flexibility, targeting applications underground. We conducted a study of biodegradation on land over 120 days, and studied the direct relationship with the gel fraction values. The results showed that the pellets swelled more crosslinked least while microscopy showed that these samples had a more porous morphology, which contributed to the improvement in fluid retention. Moreover, they are more flexible and biodegrade more rapidly and are extremely viable for use in agriculture. It has been found that PVA 40-88 showed better swelling values at different salts. With SAP obtained, it was found that the reactive extrusion is a viable method for the production of SAPs.

This thesis is focused on description of superabsorbents with controlled released of nutrients, specifically macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and kalium. Superabsorbents are polymers, mostly acrylic acid polymers, that can absorb huge amount of water without dissolving in it. In its structure they can hold water and thanks to this they are very perspective materials for agricultural usage. Experimental part was focused on growing corn with use of superabsorbents and control samples without use of superabsorbents. Plants were growth for 3 time periods, specifically 46, 60 and 74 days. During the experiments, plats were growth without water stress and in controlled conditions in growing box under UV lamp that simulated day and night by turning on and off after 12 hours. At the end, an image analysis was performed in HARFA program, from which we got information about branching of the roots. Results were supplemented by soil and plants analysis.

<div> <p>The formation of the cracks in concrete materials can shorten the service life of the structure by exposing the steel rebar to the aggressive substances from the external environment. Self-healing concrete can eliminate the crack automatically, which has the potential to replace manual rehabilitation and repairing work. This thesis intends to develop a self-healing fiber-reinforced cementitious composite by the use of internal curing agents, such as lightweight aggregate, zeolite and superabsorbent polymer (SAP). This study has evaluated the crack width control ability of three different types of fiber, polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVA), Masterfiber Mac Matrix and Strux 90/40 fiber. Mechanical performance and flexural stress-strain behavior of the fiber-reinforced cementitious composite were tested and compared. In order to investigate the feasibility of using internal curing aggregate to enhance autogenous healing performance, two types of porous aggregates, zeolite and lightweight aggregate (LWA), were used as internal curing agents to provide water for the autogenous healing. The pore structure of the zeolite and lightweight aggregate was examined by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two replacement ratios of sand with internal curing aggregates were designed and the healing efficiency was evaluated by the resonant frequency measurement and the optical microscopic observation. To further understand the influence of the internal curing on the designed material, water retention behavior of the bulk sample and the internal curing aggregates was evaluated. Moreover, to study the self-sealing effect of the superabsorbent polymer (SAP), the robustness of the SAP under various environmental conditions was first evaluated. The influence of the superplasticizer, hydration accelerator and fly ash on the absorption behavior of the SAP was investigated by the filtration test and void size analysis. Afterward, the self-sealing performance of the SAP in cement paste was evaluated by a water flow test.</p> <p>The evaluation of three types of fiber indicated that the use of PVA fiber could produce a cementitious composite with stronger mechanical strength and crack width control ability. The result of the autogenous healing evaluation showed that the incorporation of the internal curing aggregates increased the self-healing recovery ratio from 12.6% to over 18%. The internal curing aggregate could absorb and store water during the wet curing and release it when the external water supply is unavailable. The comparison between the two types of internal curing aggregates indicated that finer pores in the internal curing aggregate can lead to a slower water release rate that is capable of continuously supplying water for the autogenous healing. In addition, the SAP was proved to be robust when various content of the additives and fly ash were used. And the self-sealing effect of the SAP is found to be effective in regaining the water tightness of cement paste. The result of this thesis can assist in the design of the fiber-reinforced cementitious composite with self-healing performance in civil engineering.</p> </div> <br>

Mixes with lower water to cement (w/c) ratio and supplementary cementing materials produce strong and durable concrete. The consequence of lowering w/c is an increase in autogenous shrinkage (AS), which contributes to concrete cracking. Internal curing (IC) is shown to mitigate AS, however improper dosing of IC material can negatively affect the concrete properties. The effectiveness of IC material, such as superabsorbent polymer (SAP), depends on the 1) amount of water stored, 2) particle distribution, and 3) ability to deliver water. The objective of this research is to quantify the in-situ efficiency of SAP by investigating its effect on the cement chemical reaction using non-destructive testing methods, specifically isothermal calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). IC was tested with varying quantities of SAP in plain cement paste using white Portland cement and three w/c (0.30, 0.32, 0.35). Overdosing of the SAP material was found to significantly affect the hydration reaction and reduce the efficiency of the material. The initial porosity of the paste influences the ability of IC to provide water. However, the extra porosity provided by SAP needs to be considered when calculating the degree of hydration. Particle agglomeration occurs when the mass of SAP to IC water is greater than 5% and is the main factor causing loss of efficiency. A new geometric model was developed to estimate the SAP distribution within the cement paste. The model employs the SAP absorption determined by NMR and assumes that the SAP particles are spherical, of equal diameter, and individual particles absorb the same amount of pore solution. The results reveal that particle spacing increases with agglomeration and reduces the IC efficiency. A hybrid 1-D finite element transient flow model was developed to reverse engineer the effective diffusion coefficient from the NMR water distribution. The gel solid volume fraction and its impedance to water transfer were accounted for through the cement degree of hydration and tortuosity factor, respectively. Model results reveal that the effective water diffusion coefficient depends on w/c, gel volume fraction, and tortuosity once the cement gel fractions start to connect, i.e., after 20% cement degree of hydration. The diffusion length quantifies the distance water can transfer from the SAP to the cement paste. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)