Interaction of poly(ethylene oxide) with solvents: 1. Preparation and swelling of a crosslinked poly(ethylene oxide) hydrogel

Crosslinked polymer gels containing over 90 wt% poly(ethylene oxide) have been made and their swelling in a large number of solvents studied. The results confirm previous observations that the interaction of poly(ethylene oxide) with water is quite different from the interaction with most other solvents. Formamide also appears to be anomalous. The crosslinked polymer, swollen with water, shows dramatic syneresis between 0° and 100°C but at 100°C still retains approximately three molecules of water for each ether oxygen.