The ionic conductivity of p(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels / Darren A. Miller.

Errata pasted on front end cover.Bibliography: leaves 194-210.xi, 210 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.The aim of this study is to investigate the conductivity of pHEMA gel electrolytes and improve the understanding of the absorbed water in such hydrogels. The effect of the variation of the water content on conductivity is investigated in two ways ; the introduction of OED cross linkers yields hydrogels of reduced EWC through alteration of the nature of the polymer network and progressive dehydration enables a study of the conductivity with decreasing water content for individual copolymers.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, 199