POLY（MALEIC ANHYDRIDE-CO-ACRYLIC ACID）/POLY（ETHYLENE GLYCOL）HYDROGELS WITH pH- AND IONIC-STRENGTH-RESPONSES

Poly（maleic anhydride-coacrylic acid）,P（MA-AA）,was synthesized by the free-radical copolymerization of maleic anhydride with acrylic acid,and fast responsive pH-sensitive poly（maleic anhydride-co-acrylic acid）/polyethylene glycol,P（MA-AA）/PEG,hydrogels were prepared using PEG as macromolecular cross-linking agent.FT-IR and ~1H-NMR spectrometry were applied to characterize the structure of P（MA-AA）.The influences of pH and ionic strength on the swelling behavior of P（MA-AA）/PEG hydrogels and the swelling-deswelling changes along with the repeated changes between acid and alkali conditions were studied.The results showed that there was a hundredfold difference in the swelling ratios between the conditions of acid and alkali,and the swelling capability could not be weakened after multiple swelling-deswelling cycles.The results of swelling kinetics demonstrated that the response rate of P（MA-AA）/PEG hydrogels was very fast,because the swelling transition points always occurred at 10 min.The pH-responsive hydrogels reported here might be a smart material for potentially applications in many areas,including biosensors,drug-delivery devices and tissue engineering.