Synthesis and characterization of hydrophobic interactions based hydrogels

In this study, it was aimed to synthesize and characterize hydrogels containing maleic anhydride grafted decanol and acrylamide (AAm). For this purpose, hydrogels containing AAm, maleic anhydride derivative and crosslinker were prepared at different ratios and the gelation ratios of these hydrogels were calculated. It was determined that as the amount of maleic anhydride derivative increased, the gelation ratios decreased and the gelation ratios increased as the amount of AAm increased. The swelling behavior of the hydrogels was studied against time at different temperatures and pH media. It was observed that the swelling behaviours of the prepared hydrogels reached equilibrium within about 5-20 days. It was found that as the amount of crosslinker increased, the swelling capacity decreased and the swelling capacity of the gel having a lower amount of AAm at 25°C was high. When the swelling behavior of hydrogels against temperature was examined, it was observed that the swelling behavior was realized in two steps at 70 and 80°C, while swelling behavior was observed in one step in other temperatures. In addition, when the swelling behavior at different pHs was examined, it was observed that the hydrogels having acid group showed higher swelling capacity in the basic media whereas the swelling capacity of the hydrogels without acid groups was not affected by the pH of the swelling medium. Key words:Acrylamide, Maleic anhydride, Swelling kinetics, Hydrophobic, Hydrogels.