HIGHLY POROUS HYBRID COMPOSITE HYDROGELS BASED ON CELLULOSE AND 1,10-PHENANTHROCYANINE OF Zn(II): SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION WITH WAXS, FTIR, 13C CP/MAS NMR AND SEM

Hybrid composite hydrogels were synthesized by immobilization of 1,10-phenanthrocyanine zinc(II) complex in cellulose hydrogels. The hydrogels exhibited long-term stability, high water retaining capacity and porosity, which were determined using chemical methods. They were characterized with wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). According to FTIR analysis, the immobilization of the complex in the hydrogels led to its interaction with the cellulose inside the matrices of the hydrogels. Additional crystallization of the cellulose in the hydrogels occurred during the formation of the composite hydrogels, as revealed with WAXS. The surface and morphology of the cross-sections of the hydrogels, as well as the pore distribution and pore size, were defined with SEM. The SEM study also ascertained the impact of the molecular mass of the embedded complex on the efficiency of the immobilization.