A series of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) hydrogels with different compositions that based on xanthan gum (XG) and poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) were synthesized. The effects of various external surrounding stimuli, including pH, temperature, and ionic strength on XG-PASP hydrogels swelling properties were investigated. Chemical structural changes of the IPN hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and swelling ratio measurement. The swelling process was found to be a Fickian diffusion and reached swelling equilibrium quickly. It was found that the feed composition of PASP was an important factor that affected the properties of IPN hydrogels. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.