Solvent concentrations of dimethylsulfoxide-water and 1-propanol-water solutions inside and outside poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) gel

The volumes of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPA) gel in both dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-water and 1-propanol-water solutions were measured at 25°C. The solvent concentrations inside and outside the NIPA gel were also measured. The gel was swollen in water, shrunk according to increase in concentration of organic solvent, and reswollen in pure organic solvent. This phenomenon is typical reentrant swelling behavior. The DMSO concentrations inside the gel were almost equal to those outside the gel in the whole concentration range. On the other hand, the 1-propanol concentrations between inside and outside the gel were much different from each other in the shrunk state, though they were almost the same in the swollen state.