Water Sorption and Drying Behavior of Crosslinked Dextrans

Abstract

  The water sorption and drying behavior of crosslinked dextran gels was investigated in relation to the dependency on the density of the crosslinks. Sorption isotherms indicate that the amount of sorption was more for the gels with a lower crosslink density. Almost all the isotherms show sorption and desorption hysteresis, the extent of this hysteresis being more marked with the gels with lower crosslink density. The rate of drying was also dependent on the crosslink density. These results can be explained by considering that the polymer network in a gel with a low crosslink density is more flexible to easy change during water sorption and drying than in one with a higher crosslink density.