Abstract

Acrylic-based hydrogels with spherical geometry were characterized and subjected to a study of absorption/desorption to evaluate the encapsulation and release of a commercial solution of the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (200 mg/100 ml) at 25 °C. The characterization was performed by means of infrared spectroscopy, macro magnifying glass, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersion. Based on the experimental adsorption and desorption results, mass percentage (g/g) and volumetric percentage (mm3/mm3) curves were constructed for both processes. Additionally, using the mass swelling percentages, diffusivity was analyzed using Fick's Second Law and employing the lattice-Boltzmann computational method (LBM) to simulate the behavior. Consequently, the gels were demonstrated to be superabsorbent, and the effectiveness of the diffusion process in polyacrylic based hydrogels with spherical geometry was verified.