Swelling of hydrophobically modified poly(acrylamide) and poly(acrylamide)-co-(acrylic acid) gels in surfactant solutions

A series of hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide and polyacrylamide-co-poly(acrylic acid) gels with systematically varying hydrophobicity were prepared by free-radical polymerization of acrylamide, n-alkylacrylamides (n = 10, 12, and 14), and acrylic acid. The swelling of these gels was examined in water and in both anionic and cationic surfactant solutions. It was found that the gels which incorporated acrylic acid showed extremely high swelling in water. Maximum swelling was observed in gels which incorporated 10 mol% acrylic acid. The swelling of these gels was much less in solutions of both anionic and cationic surfactants than in water. The gels which did not incorporate acrylic acid demonstrated little swelling in water, but showed increased swelling in both anionic and cationic surfactant solutions with increased hydrophobicity of the gel. Received: 1 February 1999 Accepted in revised form: 5 March 1999     

Swelling kinetics of cross-linked polymer gels based on polystyrene and poly(vinyl alcohol) in aqueous solutions of electrolytes and sucrose

The swelling kinetics of polymer gels has been studied in water and aqueous solutions by optical micrometry. Cross-linked hydrophilic polymers based on polystyrene and poly(vinyl alcohol) have been used as gel-forming materials. The effects of the natures of the matrices and polar groups of the polymers and their cross-linking densities and granule sizes, as well as the properties of external phase, on the swelling kinetics of the polymer gels have been investigated. The experimental results have been processed in terms of a heterophase kinetic model. The applicability of the model to describing the behavior of all studied systems has been shown.     

Network structure and swelling behavior of poly(acrylamide/crotonic acid) hydrogels in aqueous salt solutions

Hydrogels with various ionic group contents were prepared from acrylamide and crotonic acid (CrA) monomers with 0–12.9 mol % CrA in aqueous solutions by radiation‐induced polymerization and gelation with γ rays from a ⁶⁰Co source. The volume swelling ratio of the poly(acrylamide/crotonic acid) hydrogels was investigated as a function of the pH and ionic strength of the swelling medium and the type of counterion in the swelling medium. The volume swelling ratio increased with an increase in pH and a decrease in the ionic strength. The volume swelling ratio of these hydrogels was evaluated with an equation, based on the Flory–Huggins thermodynamic theory, the James–Guth phantom network theory, and the Donnan theory of swelling of weakly charged ionic gels, that was modified here for the determination of the molecular weight between crosslinks (M_c) and the polymer–solvent interaction parameter (χ). The modified equation described very well the swelling behavior of the charged polymeric network. The same equation also provided the simultaneous measurement of these parameters for the systems investigated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1656–1664, 2003     

Swelling of poly(methacrylic acid) gels and adsorption of L-lysine and its polymer on the gels

Poly (methacrylic acid) gels (PMAA gels) of various degrees of crosslinking were prepared and the dissociation behavior of these gels was examined; the swelling behavior was investigated as a function of the solution pH values. A reentrant phenomenon of swelling was observed and interpreted based on the Flory-Huggins equation and the Donnan equilibrium formula. Moreover, adsorption of L-lysine, oligo(L-lysine)s (Lys-n,n=3, 9, and 19) and poly(L-lysine) onto PMAA gels from aqueous solutions was investigated under different conditions of pH and concentration of adsorbate. The adsorption ratio of L-lysine onto PMAA gel is dependent on both the pH of solution and the degree of crosslinking. In a pH range between 8 and 9, the protonated form of L-lysine is strongly adsorbed on the PMAA gel by electrostatic interactions. Oligomers and polymer of L-lysine are adsorbed in a somewhat different way from the monomeric L-lysine. In addition, the desorption behavior of L-lysine from PMAA gels by a change in pH was also investigated.     

Thermal analyses of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous solutions and in nanocomposite gels

The coil-to-globule transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) prepared by free-radical redox polymerization in aqueous solutions and its nanocomposite (NC) gels were investigated by differential scanning calorimetery. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) of aqueous solutions of PNIPA of different molecular weights were not significantly affected by molecular weight (M _w: 0.19?×?10⁶?4.29?×?10⁶?g?×?mol^?1) or polymer concentration (1?10?wt%), although the enthalpy of transition increased with molecular weight, at M _w (<1.2?×?10⁶ g?×?mol^?1). The glass-transition temperature of PNIPA in the dried state also remained constant (138?°C), regardless of molecular weight. On the other hand, the enthalpy of the coil-to-globule transition of PNIPA in NC gels consisting of a PNIPA/clay network decreased with increasing clay concentration (C _clay), while the onset temperature (≡LCST) was almost constant, regardless of C _clay. The PNIPA chains in NC gels could be classified into the following three types: P-1, which exhibits a normal LCST transition, similar to that of linear PNIPA; P-2, exhibiting restricted transition at higher temperatures as a result of interactions with the clay; and P-3, which does not undergo that transition because of stronger restrictions. It was found that the proportion of P-3 increases with increasing C _clay. However, some P-1 and P-2 was still observed, even in NC gels with high C _clay. That the transition to the hydrophobic globular state was restricted by interactions with the clay was confirmed by measurements on PNIPA after removal of the clay from NC gels.     

Properties of aqueous salt solutions of poly(ethylene oxide)

The determination of the properties of aqueous salt solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) has been extended to cloud-point and θ-temperature measurements in sodium acetate, potassium fluoride, sodium thiosulfate, and potassium phosphate. The Hofmeister series for the decreasing effect of anion species in salting out the polymer is accordingly extended. However, the order of the effect depends on whether it is made on the basis of molar anion concentration the molar concentration of unit anion charge, or the ionic strength. Viscosity measurements on θ and non-θ solutions containing zinc sulfate, potassium fluoride, and potassium phosphate gave polymer dimensions (in addition to limiting viscosity numbers etc.), and characteristic ratios in good agreement with theoretical predictions (Abe and Mark), and enthalpy and entropy parameters χ_H and χ_s; the latter values, nominally ?0.14 and 0.63, are identical at 298 K for the three salt species.     

Swelling and deswelling kinetics of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

Swelling and deswelling kinetics was investigated for three types of cylindrical poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) gels differing in crosslink density. The temperature dependence curves of the volume of the gel specimens were different from one another. One of the gel specimens was considered as a critical gel showing the continuous volume phase transition. The volume change process of the specimens after a temperature jump was examined. In the deswelling processes with temperature jumps to temperatures higher than 35 degrees C, a phase separation was observed in the gel specimens and the volume change slowed down due to the homogenization after the phase separation. The value of the diffusion constant obtained without the phase separation decreased rapidly as temperature approaches the transition temperature. The rapid decrease for the critical gel indicates the emergence of the critical slowing-down. The value of the critical exponent for the correlation length suggests that the universality class for the volume phase transition of the critical PNIPA gel belongs to the class for the classical theory.     

Swelling of polyacrylamide gels in aqueous solutions of ethylene glycol oligomers

Addition of a small amount of ethylene glycol oligomers (OEG), with the number of repeat units y = 2–4, in an aqueous solution leads to the contraction of both linear and cross-linked poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) chains. The results present clear evidence for the screening effect of OEG on the ionic groups of the polymer chains. Measurements indicate that the pre-swollen poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) gels immersed in aqueous OEG solutions are at equilibrium. However, as the molecular weight of OEG increases, these gels cannot attain their equilibrium swelling ratio due to the appearance of non-equilibrium structures. The stability of these structures increases as the initial swelling degree of the gels increases.     

Copolymerization of acrylamide with sodium acrylate in aqueous salt solutions

Kinetic relationships in homogeneous radical copolymerization of acrylamide with sodium acrylate, initiated by potassium peroxosulfate in concentrated aqueous solutions at 60°C, were examined in relation to the ionic strength of the solution and pH of the medium.     

Swelling of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels in water-aprotic solvent mixtures

The swelling volume of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) gel in aprotic solvents (acetonitrile (AcN)-, tetrahydrofuran (THF)-, 1,4-dioxane (DO)- and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO))-water mixtures was measured at 25°C. The gel swollen in water shrank first and then reswelled with addition of the aprotic solvents. At an intermediate mole fraction (XDMSO) range of DMSO-water mixtures, the gel demonstrated a reentrant swelling phenomenon the hydrated gel shrank first on addition of a small amount of solvent, showed a typical wide reentrant transition, and gradually reswelled in the range near pure solvent. On the other hand, the gels in AcN-, THF-, and DO-water mixtures demonstrated a reentrant-convex swelling phenomenon: the gels reswelled after a reentrant phase transition in low Xorg (XAcN, XTHF and XDO), showed a maximum swelling in the intermediate Xorg region, and shrank again gradually in the high Xorg region. Such a swelling behavior of the gel was interpreted by correlating with solution properties of the aqueous aprotic solvent mixtures.The strength of hydrogen bonding around amide groups of the homopolymer was examined in pure solvents (water, THF, and DMSO) and in all proportion of aqueous THF to observe the relation with swelling behavior of gel by spectrum analysis of the amide I and II bands of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The swelling properties of gels in solvents and the aqueous mixtures were well correlated with the peak shifts of amide groups of the homopolymer.     

Elastic properties of swollen polyelectrolyte gels in aqueous salt solutions

The elastic relaxation responding to a uniaxially stretched poly(acrylic acid) rodlike gel in the aqueous NaCl solution was investigated. The relaxation elucidated the shear (mu) and bulk (K) moduli and the frictional coefficients (sigma) of the fully ionized gel at pH above 9 as functions of the degree of swelling, which was controlled by the NaCl concentration (C(S)) of the solution. Two gels, cross-linked chains of which consist of 500 (GelA500) and 50 (GelA50) monomeric units, were examined to investigate the effect of the chain length on the elastic behavior. The moduli of GelA500 increased with swelling at C(S) below 100 mM and decreased at C(S) above it. The mu values of both gels can be characterized by the power function of gel diameter, d as mu proportional, variantd(beta). The beta values being -1 at C(S) above 100 mM transitionally changed to 1.2 at C(S) about 100 mM. That is, the dimensionality of space for the chains to distribute, n(dim) [= (beta+5)/(beta+2) according to the conventional theory [Sasaki et al., J. Chem. Phys. 102, 5694 (1995)]], changed from 4 (n(dim) of ideal chain) to 1.9 at C(S) = 100 mM. This indicates that the electrostatic repulsion between gel chains reduces the n(dim) at C(S) below 100 mM but not at C(S) above it. It was found that the K values of GelA500 were well described by the conventional theory but those of GelA50 not. The sigma(zr)/sigma(rr) (sigma(zr) is an off-diagonal element of the friction coefficient tensor and sigma(rr) is a diagonal element of the friction coefficient tensor) was found to be 2.7 x 10(-2), which was the same as the previously reported value for the swollen poly(acrylamide) gel [Sasaki, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 5789 (2004)]. The sigma(rr) of unit volume of the GelA500 is well explained by the free draining model while the sigma(rr) of GelA50 is less than that of the free draining model, suggesting the slip between water and ionized chain.     

Fluorescence studies on volume phase transition in poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

The changes in microenvironments during the volume phase transition of poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels induced by pH change or the change in solvent composition were studied by using dansyl or pyrenyl fluorescent probes.     

Swelling of N-isopropyl acrylamide hydrogels in aqueous solutions of sodium chloride

Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of hydrophilic polymer chains. Hydrogels can absorb/desorb water and hydrophilic solutes. This behavior is called swelling/shrinking, as it is accompanied by a volume change. The amounts of absorbed substances depend on the structure of the hydrogel and the composition of the coexisting liquid phase. This paper deals with experimental investigations of the swelling behavior of nonionic, chemically crosslinked, synthetic hydrogels of N-isopropyl acrylamide. The swelling equilibrium of some hydrogels in aqueous solutions of sodium chloride was investigated at 298 K. The experimental results are presented, discussed and correlated/predicted with a thermodynamic model which combines an expression for the Gibbs energy of a liquid phase with an expression for the Helmholtz energy of an elastic network.     

Swelling behaviour of poly(butadiene) gels in liquid crystal solvents

The swelling behaviour of poly(butadiene) gels in four different nematogenic liquid crystalline (LC) solvents has been investigated as a function of temperature (T). Microscopy with crossed polarizers reveals that the nematic to isotropic phase transition temperature of the LC solvents inside the gels (T_NI ^g) is slightly lower than that of the surrounding pure LC solvents (T_NI ^o), but the degrees of depression in T_NI ^g in each system are comparable regardless of the considerable differences in the degrees of equilibrium swelling (Q) at T_NI ^g between the various systems. In general, Q in the isotropic phase is larger than that in the nematic phase, but a unique swelling behaviour of the gel is found in the vicinity of T_NI due to the phase transition of the LC solvents. Q remains constant in the temperature range of T_NI ^g ≤ T ≤ T_NI ^o in which the phases of the LCs outside or inside the domain of the gels are different, namely, nematic and isotropic phase, respectively. In addition, a finite abrupt (discontinuous-like) change in Q is observed at around T_NI. The gels swollen in the LCs, having an ability to interact with the crosslinking points via hydrogen bonding, show a significant thermal hysteresis for the temperature dependence of Q in the vicinity of T_NI, while no discernible thermal hysteresis is observed for the gels in the LCs incapable of forming hydrogen bonds.     

NMR investigations of phase transition in aqueous polymer solutions and gels

The use of NMR spectroscopy in investigations of phase transitions in aqueous polymer solutions and gels is reviewed. Results on this subject as obtained mostly for thermoresponsive polymers (e.g., poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and its copolymers, poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) and its copolymers, poly(vinyl methyl ether)) from temperature dependences of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra, spin–lattice and spin–spin relaxation times, diffusion coefficients and NMR images are discussed.     

The conformational stability of tactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) in aqueous salt solutions

The conformational stability of tactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) in aqueous salt solutions was investigated by measurements of swelling, surface-free energy, and differential scanning calorimetry, as this polymer in water is sensitive in various electrolytes. In the case of inorganic salts, the major role for the salt effect is played by the anions, and the exposure of hydrophobic components at the PHEMA surface can be correlated with the increase of the degree of swelling. The influence of cations is considerably weaker. In the case of organic salts, tetraalkylammonium halides cause the chain extension more effectively with the increase of alkyl chain length in the cations. This result indicates that the breakdown of the hydrophobic parts in PHEMA provides an important clue on conformational stability. The amount of water molecules bound with the hydrophilic sites of tactic-PHEMA mainly depends on the chain extension and the hydration of cations. Since the sites in tactic-PHEMA influenced by the cation and the anion are different, their effects cause the conformational transition at a specific range of salt concentration. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Swelling and drug releasing properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thermo-sensitive copolymer gels

A series of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) copolymer gels with different hydrophilicities were prepared from NIPAAm, hydrophilic acrylamide (AAm) and hydrophobic butyl methacrylate (BMA). The swelling and thermo-responsive properties of PNIPAAm P (NIPAm-co-BMA) and P(NIPAm-co-AAm) copolymer hydrogels were investigated. The drug loading and releasing behaviors for two kinds of model drug with different hydrophilicities were studied. The result shows that the copolymer gels present negative thermo-sensitivities. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST), equilibrium swelling degree and the initial swelling rate increase as the hydrophilicity of gels increases when the temperature is below the LCST. With increasing gel hydrophilicity the loading ratio for sodium salicylate increases, while for salicylic acid, the reverse is observed. The initial drug releasing rate of sodium salicylate and salicylic acid also increase with increasing gel hydrophilicity. The initial drug releasing rate of sodium salicylate is significantly higher than that of salicylic acid. For salicylic acid which is less hydrophilic, the equilibrium releasing ratio at high temperature is lower than that at low temperature while for sodium salicylate which is more hydrophilic, the equilibrium releasing ratio at high temperature is almost the same as that at low temperature. Equilibrium releasing ratios of the three gels are significantly different from each other for salicylic acid when the temperature is below LCST while the equilibrium releasing ratios of the three gels are all 100% for sodium salicylate. __________ Translated from Journal of Central South University (Science and Technology), 2007, 38(5): 906–911 [译自: 中南大学学报(自然科学版)]     

About the compatibility of polymer components in polymer complexes based on poly(acrylamide) and poly(vinyl alcohol)

The issue of applying the usual concepts of polymer compatibility to nonstoichiometric PVA/PAA mixtures of chemically complementary poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(acrylamide), which form in water solution InterPC (intermolecular polymer complex) stabilyzed by H‐bonds, and PAA to PVA graft copolymers (PVA‐PAA_N) with different grafted chains number N, that are IntraPC (intramolecular polymer complexes) is discussed. PVA and PAA are compatible on molecular level. At the same time PVA/PAA mixture (50/50 W/W) is characterized by heterogeneous structure consists of InterPC with ϕ_char=9g_PVA/g_PAA and the excess of unconnected PAA. In the case of IntraPC, yet, only PVA‐PAA_N, where N=25, is characterized by a single glass transition temperature (Tg). At larger values of N separate PAA domains form giving rise to the corresponding Tg. These results are discussed in view of IntraPC structure peculiarities as a function of N investigated by IR spectroscopy.     

Swelling of polyacrylamide gels in polyacrylamide solutions

Swelling behavior of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and polyacrylamide-co-polyacrylic acid (PAAm-co-PAAc) gels was investigated in aqueous solutions of monodisperse PAAms with molecular weights (M_w) ranging from 1.5 × 10³ to 5 × 10⁶ g/mol. The volume of the gels decreases as the PAAm concentration in the external solution increases. This decrease becomes more pronounced as the molecular weight of PAAm increases. The classical Flory–Huggins (FH) theory correctly predicts the swelling behavior of nonionic PAAm gels in PAAm solutions. The polymer–polymer interaction parameter χ₂₃ was found to decrease as the molecular weight of PAAm increases. The swelling behavior of PAAm-co-PAAc gels in PAAm solutions deviates from the predictions of the FH theory. This is probably due to the change of the ionization degree of AAc units depending on the polymer concentration in the external solution. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1313–1320, 1998