Summary: The swelling equilibrium of poly(acrylamide) PAAm] and polyacrylamide‐co‐(itaconic acid)] P(AAm/IA)] hydrogels was studied as a function of temperature and IA content in aqueous solutions of surfactants: sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, anionic) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB, cationic). P(AAm/IA) hydrogels in water exhibited reentrant conformational transitions depending on temperature, whereas PAAm hydrogels were not affected with the change of temperature. The equilibrium‐volume‐swelling ratio of P(AAm/IA) hydrogels increased sharply in SDS solutions, with an increase of the mole percent of IA. However, in HTAB solution, the equilibrium‐volume‐swelling ratio of these hydrogels decreased with an increase of IA content.
The equilibrium volume‐swelling ratios of the hydrogels in water shown as a function of temperature.
