Thermoreversible hydrogels XI:: Effect of salt on the swelling properties of the (N-isopropylacrylamide-co-sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropyl sulfonate) copolymeric hydrogels

The swelling behavior for a series of NIPAAm/NaAMPS copolymeric hydrogels with polyelectrolytic and thermosensitive properties was investigated in various saline solutions. The swelling ratios for the present copolymeric hydrogels were affected by the saline solution, which is the result of the neutralization of the cations in the external solution with the negative charges on the polymeric side chains. The adsorption of aniline by the gels increased when the temperature was higher than the gel transition temperature, and this result showed that, when the gels were in hydrophobic state, the hydrophobic organic molecules were more easily adsorbed onto the gels. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.