Hydrogels are one of the emerging classes of materials in current research. Besides their numerous applications in the medical sector as a drug delivery system or in tissue replacement, they are also suitable as irrigation components or as immobilization matrices in catalysis. For optimal application of these compounds, knowledge of the swelling properties and the diffusion mechanisms occurring in the gels is mandatory. This study is focused on hydrogels synthesized by radical polymerization of imidazolium-based ionic liquids. Both the swelling and diffusion behavior of these hydrogels were investigated via gravimetric swelling as well as sorption experiments implemented in water, ethanol, n-heptane, and tetrahydrofuran. In water and ethanol, strong swelling was observed while the transport mechanism deviated from Fickian-type behavior. By varying the counterion and the chain length of the cation, their influences on the processes were observed. The calculation of the diffusion coefficients delivered values in the range of 10-10 to 10-12 m2 s-1. The gravimetric results were supported by apparent diffusion coefficients measured through diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. A visualization of the water diffusion front within the hydrogel should help to further elucidate the diffusion processes in the imidazolium-based hydrogels.
Keywords: diffusion; hydrogels; magnetic resonance imaging; polymerized ionic liquids; sorption experiments; swelling.