| Abstract: | We investigated the effect of charge densities of the gel network and ionic strength of solution on swelling behaviors of ionized gels. We used the modified double‐lattice model, Flory–Erman's elastic model, and the ideal Donnan theory to describe swelling behaviors of the electrolyte bounded hydrogels. Energy parameters (?/k, δ?/k) were obtained from fitting liquid–liquid equilibria data of the linear poly‐N‐isopropylacrylamide/water system and two adjustable model parameters obtained from a nonelectrolyte hydrogel system. Calculated values agreed with experimental data for the given systems. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2333–2338, 2002 |
