Effects of crosslinker density on the polymer network structure in poly‐N,N‐dimethylacrylamide hydrogels

To investigate the effects of crosslinker density on the properties of hydrogels, compression tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Raman measurements were performed on poly‐N,N‐dimethylacrylamide hydrogels. The results of the compression tests showed that the Young's modulus increases as the crosslinker density increases. To understand the mechanism of the change in the mechanical properties, the structures of the polymer networks and water and the molecular vibrations were analyzed using SEM, DSC, and Raman methods. From the SEM images, it was found that the porosity estimated from the mesh size and cell density increases with increasing crosslinker density. In addition, the DSC and Raman results show that the thickness of the bound water increases as the porosity increases, although the density of the polymer chains in the porous wall remains nearly constant. The increase in the number density of polymer chains can be one of the mechanisms contributing to the increase in the mechanical strength of the hydrogels at lower crosslinker density below 5 mol %, as proposed by previous studies. At higher crosslinker density, however, the number density of polymer chains does not increase with increasing crosslinker density. The present results suggest that the bound water plays an important role in strengthening the hydrogel. The water structure may be one of the dominant factors governing the chemical and physical properties of hydrogels. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 1017–1027