Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad and his team turned to nanotechnology to produce cellulose-based nanofibre for use as an absorbent core in sanitary napkins. They chose cellulose acetate biopolymer and subjected it to electrospinning to synthesise fibre of nanoscale size

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Sharma, Chandra Shekhar

Sharma, C S

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IIT Hyderabad develops sanitary napkins that absorb better

Research Archive of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

» TODAY'S PAPER » EDUCATION PLUSSeptember 19, 2016IIT Hyderabad develops sanitary napkins that absorb better R. PrasadProf. Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Shital Yadav (middle) and Mani Pujitha Illa used nanofibre that are biodegradable. Photo: SpecialArrangementSanitary napkins which have greater absorption capacity than commercially available ones and can be safely disposed owing to theirbiodegradable nature may soon become a reality thanks to research work carried out by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute ofTechnology, Hyderabad.Most commercially available napkins use cellulose fibre to increase their absorption capacity. But the lower surface area of the fibre limits theabsorption capacity. In order to enhance the absorption capacity, some brands use superabsorbent polymers (cross-linked sodiumpolyacrylate gels). When polymerised acrylate is added to cellulose, the resulting product has enormous ability to absorb water, which hascaused an increased use of this substance in the production of hygiene products such as sanitary napkins.Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad and his team turned to nanotechnology to producecellulose-based nanofibre for use as an absorbent core in sanitary napkins. They chose cellulose acetate biopolymer and subjected it toelectrospinning to synthesise fibre of nanoscale size.Compared with micron-sized fibre used in commercially available products, the absorption capacity of napkins with nanofibre was higher dueto greater surface area and higher porosity. “The more the surface area of the fibres the more will be the absorption capacity,” Prof. Sharmasays. “The nanofibre has 4-8 times the surface area of microfibre.” The results were published in the journal Applied Materials Today.They tested commercially available napkins and the nanofibre samples in the lab using distilled water, saline solution and synthetic urine. Inthe case of distilled water, at the end of 180 seconds, napkins with a superabsorbent layer had a higher absorption capacity compared withnanofibre samples. However, nanofibre samples had 50 per cent more absorbance than those that either had little or very less superabsorbentpolymers.In the case of saline solution, the nanofibre samples had 53-63 per cent greater absorption capacity compared with the rest of thecommercially available samples, including those which had superabsorbent polymers. “The basic driving force for absorbency is thedifference in osmotic pressure inside and outside the fabric,” Prof. Sharma says. “The superabsorbent polymers have sodium ions. So theosmotic pressure is less as there is sodium inside and outside the polymers. The more the osmotic pressure the more the absorption.”Similar results were seen when synthetic urine was tested. The nanofibre samples had 28-66 per cent better performance than all thecommercially available samples. “Like the sodium solution, synthetic urine, too, contains sodium. So the osmotic pressure is less, and there isless absorption of water,” says Shital Yadav from IIT Hyderabad, the first author of the paper.The electrospun nanofibre samples performed better even when they were subjected to mechanical compression. In the case of commerciallyavailable napkins, compression decreased the surface area and porosity and restricted the absorption capacity of even the samples withsuperabsorbent polymers.Also, compared with commercially available napkins, the mechanical strength and comfort were better in the case of electrospun nanofibresamples. “Unlike commercially available napkins that use microfibre, nanofibre is smooth and has uniform roughness. These make thenanofibre samples more comfortable,” says Mani Pujitha Illa, one of the authors of the paper, from IIT Hyderabad.The team is carrying out studies to test the performance of electrospun nanofibre to absorb body discharge fluids. “The pH and ionicconcentration determine the absorption capacity of superabsorbent polymers. Body discharge fluids have a pH and ionic concentrationcomparable to sodium solution,” Prof. Sharma says. So he is optimistic that electrospun nanofibre would be able to better-absorb bodydischarge fluids than superabsorbent polymers.The absorption capacity of napkins with nanofibre was higher due to greater surface areaFROM AROUND THE WEBIIT Hyderabad develops sanitary napkins that absorb be... http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp...1 of 2 19-09-2016 09:37

» TODAY'S PAPER » EDUCATION PLUS
September 19, 2016
IIT Hyderabad develops sanitary napkins that absorb better
 R. Prasad
Prof. Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Shital Yadav (middle) and Mani Pujitha Illa used nanofibre that are biodegradable. Photo: Special
Arrangement
Sanitary napkins which have greater absorption capacity than commercially available ones and can be safely disposed owing to their
biodegradable nature may soon become a reality thanks to research work carried out by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of
Technology, Hyderabad.
Most commercially available napkins use cellulose fibre to increase their absorption capacity. But the lower surface area of the fibre limits the
absorption capacity. In order to enhance the absorption capacity, some brands use superabsorbent polymers (cross-linked sodium
polyacrylate gels). When polymerised acrylate is added to cellulose, the resulting product has enormous ability to absorb water, which has
caused an increased use of this substance in the production of hygiene products such as sanitary napkins.
Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad and his team turned to nanotechnology to produce
cellulose-based nanofibre for use as an absorbent core in sanitary napkins. They chose cellulose acetate biopolymer and subjected it to
electrospinning to synthesise fibre of nanoscale size.
Compared with micron-sized fibre used in commercially available products, the absorption capacity of napkins with nanofibre was higher due
to greater surface area and higher porosity. “The more the surface area of the fibres the more will be the absorption capacity,” Prof. Sharma
says. “The nanofibre has 4-8 times the surface area of microfibre.” The results were published in the journal Applied Materials Today.
They tested commercially available napkins and the nanofibre samples in the lab using distilled water, saline solution and synthetic urine. In
the case of distilled water, at the end of 180 seconds, napkins with a superabsorbent layer had a higher absorption capacity compared with
nanofibre samples. However, nanofibre samples had 50 per cent more absorbance than those that either had little or very less superabsorbent
polymers.
In the case of saline solution, the nanofibre samples had 53-63 per cent greater absorption capacity compared with the rest of the
commercially available samples, including those which had superabsorbent polymers. “The basic driving force for absorbency is the
difference in osmotic pressure inside and outside the fabric,” Prof. Sharma says. “The superabsorbent polymers have sodium ions. So the
osmotic pressure is less as there is sodium inside and outside the polymers. The more the osmotic pressure the more the absorption.”
Similar results were seen when synthetic urine was tested. The nanofibre samples had 28-66 per cent better performance than all the
commercially available samples. “Like the sodium solution, synthetic urine, too, contains sodium. So the osmotic pressure is less, and there is
less absorption of water,” says Shital Yadav from IIT Hyderabad, the first author of the paper.
The electrospun nanofibre samples performed better even when they were subjected to mechanical compression. In the case of commercially
available napkins, compression decreased the surface area and porosity and restricted the absorption capacity of even the samples with
superabsorbent polymers.
Also, compared with commercially available napkins, the mechanical strength and comfort were better in the case of electrospun nanofibre
samples. “Unlike commercially available napkins that use microfibre, nanofibre is smooth and has uniform roughness. These make the
nanofibre samples more comfortable,” says Mani Pujitha Illa, one of the authors of the paper, from IIT Hyderabad.
The team is carrying out studies to test the performance of electrospun nanofibre to absorb body discharge fluids. “The pH and ionic
concentration determine the absorption capacity of superabsorbent polymers. Body discharge fluids have a pH and ionic concentration
comparable to sodium solution,” Prof. Sharma says. So he is optimistic that electrospun nanofibre would be able to better-absorb body
discharge fluids than superabsorbent polymers.
The absorption capacity of napkins with nanofibre was higher due to greater surface area
FROM AROUND THE WEB
IIT Hyderabad develops sanitary napkins that absorb be... http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp...
1 of 2 19-09-2016 09:37


http://raiith.iith.ac.in/2774/1/19-Sept_2016_IITH_sanitary-napkins_The-Hindu.pdf

IIT Hyderabad develops sanitary napkins that absorb better

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