Effects of parameters affecting sonochemical polymerization of hydrogels

The present work was an attempt to investigate the parameters which can affect the process of hydrogel formation in the presence of ultrasound. These parameters were concentration of the reactants (monomers and cross linker)، the reaction medium (solvent، ionic strength، and pH)، and acoustic parameters (power and pulse). The monomers were acrylic acid and acrylamide، and the cross linker was methylene bis acrylamide. The experiments were performed at a constant temperature of 37 °C. Pulsed power ultrasound was irradiated to the reaction mixture from the tip of a probe system. The results showthatultrasonic irradiation significantly reduces the reaction time and increases efficiency. Additionally، increasing glycerol in the solution changes the viscosity of the reaction for the better and increases the reaction rate. However، ionic strength and pH were not significantly effective in this respect. Results showed that ultrasonic acrylic hydrogel are sensitive to pH and temperature. Therefore، these hydrogels is capable for rapid drug absorption and release according to porosity in their structure. These findings provide a better understanding of hydrogel synthesis and enable us to control the pertinent parameters.