Water Sorption and Dye Uptake Studies of Highly Swollen AAm/AMPS Hydrogels and Semi-IPNs with PEG

A semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPNs) hydrogel, composed of acrylamide (AAm) with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane-sulfonic acid (AMPS) as co-monomer, with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and two multifunctional cross-linkers such as 1,4-butanediol dimethacrylate (BDMA), and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) was prepared. AAm/AMPS hydrogels and AAm/AMPS/PEG semi-IPNs were synthesized by free radical solution polymerization. Swelling experiments were performed in water at 25 degrees C, gravimetrically. For sorption of Toluidin Blue (Basic Blue 17, TB) into AAm/AMPS hydrogels and AAm/AMPS/PEG semi-IPNs was studied by batch sorption technique at 25 degrees C. Dye removal capacity, removal effiency and partition coefficient of the hydrogels was investigated.