Superabsorbent polymer: a network that swells
A polyacrylate chain (blue beads: –COO⁻ groups). A few cross-links (dashed) let it drink ~300× its mass of water; too many and it cannot expand.
A polyacrylate chain (blue beads: –COO⁻ groups). A few cross-links (dashed) let it drink ~300× its mass of water; too many and it cannot expand.