PECULIARITIES OF THE KINETICS OF POLYELECTROLYTE HYDROGEL COLLAPSE INSOLUTIONS OF COPPER-SULFATE

The kinetics of polyelectrolyte hydrogel collapse in water solutions o f CuSO4 was studied. It was shown that the equilibrium degree of contr action essentially depends on the route by which the equilibrium is at tained. The hydrogel kinetics of collapse in solutions of polyvalent m etal salts is interpreted from the point of view of two different mech anisms of gel collapse. The transition from one mechanism to the other one is determined by the time of hydrogel interaction with the salt s olution and by its concentration.