Rheological behavior and reversible swelling of pH sensitive poly(acrylamide-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels

The study involved preparation of poly(acrylamide-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels by radical cross-linking copolymerization. The copolymer hydrogels were characterized through infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, swelling measurements and in oscillatory and steady shear rheology. Results showed that more stable copolymers were formed due to the strong interaction in the hydrogels. These hydrogels have shown substantial percent swelling in water and shrinking in saline solution and acidic buffers. The rheological properties were described by the Herschel-Bulkley and power-law models to explore their non-Newtonian behavior. The results showed that higher itaconic acid content raised the polymer viscosity; the degree of shear-thinning and polymer elasticity (G') were also increased. The transition from the viscous (G' < GaEuro(3)) to the predominant viscoelastic behavior (G' > GaEuro(3)) occurs at a crossover frequency ranged from 17.8 rad/s for polyacrylamide to 15.7, 12.8 and 12.5 rad/s for copolymers.