Collapse of acrylamide‐based polyampholyte hydrogels in water

The swelling behavior of balanced acrylamide (AAm)‐based polyampholyte hydrogels in water and in aqueous salt (NaCl) solutions was investigated. Equimolar ratio of the ionic comonomers 4‐vinylpyridine (cationic monomer) and acrylic acid (anionic monomer) were used together with the nonionic monomer AAm in the hydrogel preparation. The variations of the hydrogel volume in response to changes in pH were measured. It was found that the hydrogels are in a collapsed state not only at the pH of the isoelectric point pH_IEP but also over a wide range of pH including pH_IEP. The width of the collapsed plateau increased and the hydrogels assumed a more compact state as the ionic group content is increased. The antipolyelectrolyte behavior was observed along the collapsed plateau region, where the gel occupies a larger volume in salt solution. The experimental swelling data were compared with the predictions of the Flory‐Rehner theory of swelling equilibrium including the ideal Donnan equilibria. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009