Change in hydrogen bonding structures of a hydrogel with dehydration

To investigate the mechanisms of structural changes in polymer network and water during dehydration, X-ray diffraction of poly-N,N-dimethylacrylamide (PDMAA) hydrogels was measured. The variation process in the individual structures of water and PDMAA were analyzed by decomposition of the diffraction patterns to separate the respective contributions. The results show that the short-range structures of PDMAA expand during dehydration, whereas the network structure as a whole shrinks. The average length of the hydrogen bonds between water molecules increases with the process. The present results provide a direct evidence of the structural changes of water and polymer in the hydrogel during dehydration. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.