Hydrogels of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate—glycerol monomethacry‐late copolymers

Hydrophilic three‐dimensional polymer networks (hydrogels) were prepared from hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and the copolymer HEMA and glycerol monomethacrylate (GMMA). The equilibrium water content of the hydrogels in water was investigated as a function of the initial dilution of the polymerization mixture, the type of solvent, and the hydrophilicity of the polymer. The initial dilution was found to have a decisive effect on the swelling or deswelling of hydrogels after the completion of the gel formation. With relatively less hydrophilic hydrogels, there is a critical initial dilution to produce the gel which does not swell or deswell in water after the gel formation. This “isovolumic” initial dilution shifts toward a higher dilution as the hydrophilicity of the hydrogels increases; however, when hydrophilicity of the polymer rises above a certain point, gels always swell in water. Permeability of oxygen through hydrogels was also studied.