The behavior of poly(sodium acrylate-co-acrylamide) copolymer hydrogels with varied chemical compositions in artificial pore solutions with three different pH values is examined. The absorption, chemical characteristics, mechanical stiffness, and desorption of the hydrogels in contact with a porous cementitious material were investigated. It was observed that the surface characteristics of the hydrogels play an important role in the desorption of hydrogels due to the capillary forces. It was shown that in the hydrogel systems studied here, the bonding between the hydrogels and the porous cementitious material is improved with an increase in the content of acrylamide in the hydrogels, and this results in an increased desorption rate of the hydrogels.
Keywords: capillary forces; cementitious materials; desorption; hydrogels.