Amphyphylic copolymers as water delivery systems

Various polydimethylsiloxane-co-poly(methacrylic acid) networks were prepared by initiating the radical polymerization of methacrylic acid in presence of azoester containing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and of ethyleneglicole dimethacrilate as crosslinking agent. The chemical structure and the thermal behavior of these hydrophobic–hydrophilic gels were established by IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Also, the water delivery tests were performed and the possibility to use amphyphilic copolymers as systems to mention humidity in soil is discussed. According to the experimental results a mechanism of water delivery were proposed where the hydrophilic (poly(methacrylic acid)) and hydrophobic (PDMS) sequences have different rolls in this mechanism.