Prediction of the swelling behaviour of amphiphilic hydrogels and the determination of average molecular weight between cross-links

Prediction of swelling behaviour of hydrogels containing cationic and anion ic moieties, sensitive to pH and ionic strength changes of the swelling med ium was investigated. The equations derived for the prediction of the theor etical swelling curves are based on the phantom network theory and the appr oaches of Peppas et al. For all predictions, a number of polymer based para meters, solution property parameters and polymer-solvent combination type p arameters were evaluated typical of amphiphilic copolymers. The advantages of the derived equations for the determinations of average molecular weight between the cross-links, and also polymer-solvent interaction parameter ha ve been exemplified. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.