Abstract: In this work, a series of hydrogels in the form of rod were prepared from κ-carrageenan(KC) and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone)(PVP) by gamma radiation with ⁶⁰Co γ source at room temperature. The properties of the prepared hydrogels, such as the gel strength, gel fraction and swelling behavior were investigated. High molecular weight PVP(k-90) blending with KCcould produces excellent hydrogels, but low molecular weight PVP(k-30) dosen't. With increasing KCcontent in the prepared hydrogel, both the gel strength and the equilibrium degree of swelling were improved. The experimental analyses showed that the crosslinking reaction of PVP(k-90) was quicker than the degradation of KCat low dose(less than 30 kGy), and the degradation of KCwas inhibited in PVP/KCmixture system. An interpenetrating polymer network(IPN) hydrogel composed of PVP(a chemically crosslinked network) and KC (a physically crosslinked network) was proposed. In addition, the dose influenced greatly the preparation of the hydrogel.

Key words: Blend hydrogel, Gel strength, Swelling behavior, Radiation preparation