Nuclear magnetic relaxation of water in hydrogels.

Nuclear magnetic relaxation was used to investigate the dynamic behaviour of water molecules in p(HEMA) gels. Results indicate that the rotational mobility of water in p(HEMA) gels is significantly reduced compared to that in pure water. The rotational mobility was mainly determined by total degree of swelling of the gels, and not by cross-linker content. No indications were found for the presence of dynamically different types of water in these gels on a timescale of milliseconds.