ABSTRACT
ISAO ANDO and SHIGEKI KUROKI Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
MASATOSHI KOBAYASHI National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, Japan
CHENHUA ZHAO Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
SHINGO MATSUKAWA Tokyo University of Fisheries, Tokyo, Japan
I.INTRODUCTION
Polymer gels have attracted considerable attention from the point of view of various physical and chemical properties [1, 2]. For example, hydroelectrolyte gels show a dramatic change in volume in response to change in solvent composition, pH, ionic strength, and temperature. They contract upon application of an electric field. Further, water-swollen polymer gels can convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. These lead to the vitality of polymer research and the development of a diversity of interests on polymer gel systems. In order to develop new polymer materials, polymer gel design has been performed on the basis of advanced polymer science and technology. The properties of polymer gels are closely related to their structures and dynamics. From such situations, the establishment of methods from determining the structures and dynamics is very important for making reliable polymer gel design and developing new advanced polymer gels.
