EFFECT OF SALT SOLUTION ON SWELLING OR SHRINKING BEHAVIOR OF POLY(VINYLMETHYLETHER) GEL (PVMEG)

Abstract

The effects of salt solution on water-absorbing temperature-sensitive poly(vinylmethylether) gel (PVMEG) prepared by γ-ray irradiation were experimentally studied. The swelling and shrinking behavior of PVMEG were affected solely by the kind and concentration of anion group independently of relevant cation. The equilibrium volume of gel in a salt solution was determined by both the valency and radius of the anion group. The transition temperature of PVMEG, below and above which the gel swells and shrinks, respectively, was 310 K independently of the kind and concentration of salt.