Novel polymeric gels have been prepared by radical copolymerization of acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate (AAEM) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in water‐ethanol medium. The influence of the HEMA:AAEM ratio and crosslinker concentration on properties of gels was studied. Independently on gel composition the maximum swelling was detected in chloroform. It was found that PAAEM gels possess phase transition temperature or upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in alcohol‐water solutions. UCST decreases in linear order from 75 to 10 °C when HEMA content in gel structure increases. The minimal UCST of AAEM/HEMA gels in binary alcohol‐water mixtures is shifted toward lower temperatures and lower alcohol concentrations when the alkyl chain of alcohol increases.
AAEM/HEMA gels prepared at different BIS concentrations (1:1 mol‐%, 2:2.5 mol‐%, 3:5 mol‐%).
