Development of a Process for Dispersing Hydrogel Mixtures Using a Comprehensive Installation for Producing Suspensions Providing Functional Properties of the Material

Currently, the technology of producing composite hydrogel materials in the form of an aqueous suspension is used in various industries. The issue of grinding a hydrogel material in an aqueous medium to obtain an aqueous suspension of particles with a target particle size distribution is considered. In the work, polyacrylamide polymer is chosen as a composite hydrogel material, and anti-Stokes phosphors of various brands are used as a filler. A method for producing a composite hydrogel material is developed, as well as a complex installation for its implementation. The unit includes a reactor with a set of mixing devices, high-speed toothed and knife cutters, as well as a special dispersion unit, including a pump and a two-zone disperser. Data on the study of the influence of the technological and operating parameters of the equipment used on the granulometric composition of the resulting hydrogel material are presented. The influence of the quality of the obtained hydrogels on the rotation frequency of the disperser, the dispersion time, and the ratio of hydrogel to water are revealed. Suspensions with a narrow granulometric composition with particle diameters from 1300 to 200 µm are obtained. Micrographs of a composite material based on polyacrylamide hydrogel and inorganic phosphor are presented. The authenticity of the obtained security paper is visually confirmed by clearly visible luminescent greenish-yellow dots. When examining the paper through the light and in reflected rays, particles of the polymer network of the material are not visually detectable. The mechanism for introducing composite material into paper on a paper-making machine is described. A description of the technology for obtaining a suspension of hydrogel material in a single technological cycle is given.