The swelling behavior of fully neutralized sodium polyacrylate gels was investigated in aqueous solutions of alkali metal (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CsCl) and alkaline earth metal salts (CaCl2, SrCl2, BaCl2). The total salt concentration and the ratio of monovalent to divalent cations were varied in the biologically significant range. It is found that the concentrations of both monovalent and divalent c...

In this work, synthesis and swelling behavior of a superabsorbent hydrogel based on Pectin (Pc) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were investigated. A mechanism for hydrogel formation was proposed and the structure of the product was established using FTIR spectroscopy. The Pc-poly (sodium acrylate-co-acrylamide) hydrogel exhibited a pH-responsive swelling-deswelling behavior at pH’s 2 and 8. This on...

Expansive soils owe their characteristics to the presence of swelling clay minerals. As they get wet, the clay minerals absorb water molecules and expand; conversely, as they dry they shrink, leaving large voids in the soil. Swelling clays can control the behavior of virtually any type of soil if the percentage of clay is more than about 5 percent by weight. Soils with smectite clay minerals, s...

An experimental technique to characterize irradiation-induced swelling, or isotropic volume expansion, through a combined utilization of medium-to-high energy accelerators and interferometric surface profilometry, was established. The technique was successfully applied to a characterization of swelling behavior in beta-silicon carbide arising from the accumulation of point defects at relatively...

The flexural properties of commercial bagasse-filled polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) composites were determined as a function of strain rate at room temperature. The applied strain rates were 1.5 ×10, 3.75×10, 7.5×10, and 1.5×10 s. The flexural modulus tended to increase linearly for the two types of composites with the logarithm of strain rate. The bending strength of polypropylene co...

Hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/dimethyl-aminoethyl methacrylate copolymers were prepared by gamma radiation-inducedco-polymerization at low temperature (−78◦C). The swelling behavior of hydrogels was studied by immersion of the polymer discs in buffered solutions at pH from 2 to 10. The hydration process was followed gravimetrically by measuring the water uptake of the discs as ...