Swelling Behavior of Hydrogels within Auxetic Polytetrafluoroethylene Jacket

An acrylamide type hydrogel consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid was synthesized using free radical suspension polymerization. Hydrogel particles were then loaded within an auxetic polytetrafluoroethylene jacket. It was found that the swelling ratio of the hydrogels within the jacket can be controlled by changing the loaded particle's amount and size without the wear and tear of jacket due to the auxetic effect. Increasing swelling ratio with finer hydrogel particles was observed due to higher surface area. On the other hand, increasing hydrogel particle amount resulted in a decrease in water absorption due to diminished free volume for swelling within the jacket.