Summary
Swelling behavior of poly(α -hydroxy acrylic acid) (PHA) gel was investigated in water/organic solvent mixtures (acetone, dioxane, dimethyl sulfoxide: DMSO) in comparison with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) gel. The swelling degrees of PHA and PAA gels significantly decreased with increasing acetone or dioxane content in the mixed solvents, while the deswelling in aqueous DMSO was less apparent. The deswelling region was dependent on the dissociation state of the carboxyl group; when the carboxyl group in the gels was dissociated (-COO), significant deswelling occurred in 30–60 vol.% of acetone or dioxane for PHA gel and in 40–80 vol.% for PAA gel. When the carboxyl group was in an acid form (-COOH) or only slightly dissociated, the deswelling region was 0–30 vol.% for PHA and 80-100 vol.% for PAA. The unique swelling behavior of PHA gel was ascribed to intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Effects of dielectric constant on the swelling are also discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 6 December 1999/Revised version: 17 January 2000/Accepted: 28 January 2000
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tamura, T., Kawabata, N. & Satoh, M. Swelling behavior of poly(α-hydroxy acrylic acid) gel in water/organic solvent mixtures. Polymer Bulletin 44, 209–214 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002890050594
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002890050594