Effect of acrylate structure on the properties of acrylate-grafted psyllium

ABSTRACTTwo different acrylates, i.e. methacrylic acid (MA) and butyl methacrylate (BMA), were successfully grafted on psyllium using silver sulfate as a reaction initiator. The percentage grafting of acrylates on psyllium was determined. Acrylate‐grafted psyllium with higher percentage of grafting was subjected to Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy studies. The grafted psyllium showed higher thermal stability than ungrafted psyllium. Further, on the basis of flocculation study, poly‐MA‐grafted psyllium showed better flocculation efficacy for total dissolved solids, whereas poly‐BMA‐grafted psyllium showed better flocculation efficacy in total suspended solid removal. The grafted materials were also explored as a controlled drug delivery vehicle. © 2014 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.