Super
Absorbent Polymer (SAP) as Artificial Snow
Looks like real snow! When
added to water, the polymer expands like real snow crystals! Safe &
nontoxic.
This is acrylic polymer - like the product found in baby diapers -
but a special cross-linking system in the molecule causes it to
expand and expand!
The product will slowly dry out with evaporation but can be renewed
with mist from a sprayer bottle of water.
Artificial snow is an
amazing chemical or polymer that turns ordinary water into a fluffy
substance that looks like real snow. This faux snow is so realistic
that it is now being used on movie sets and in indoor snowboarding
parks. This fake snow is in a classification of chemicals called a
polymer. Just add water to the mysterious white powder and in
seconds the transformation begins. The liquid magically changes into
a fluffy white powder that looks just like snow. It's actually a
safe, non-toxic polymer that absorbs water and fluffs up to look
like snow.
When this granular white
powder is added to water, it instantly expands to 40 times its
original volume, producing a snow-like material. When more water is
added, a slush forms. When allowed to dry, it returns to its
powdered form ready to be used again.
Originally developed as a
blood absorber. the unique properties of Instant Snow Polymer make
it useful for many other applications. When wet, this polymer has
the consistency of snow, adheres well to boots, and is very
slippery. It is used as an artificial base for skiers and as an
artificial snow.
Instant Snow Polymer is made by cross-linking molecules of tile
sodium polyacrylate polymer, the material that gives disposable
diapers their super absorbent quality. These small individual
cross-linked clusters appear as a white powdery substance. When
water is added, the individual clusters internally hydrate and
expand, forming small, fluffy clusters that do not cling to
surrounding clusters. This appears as a powdery snow. When more
water is added, the water molecules hydrate the external surface of
these clusters and the clusters begin to adhere to one another. This
appears as a slush.
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