In this work, poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) gels were characterized through Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) and thermal analysis as function of the N-isopropylacrylamide monomer and N,N-methylenebisacrylamide crosslinker concentrations. PALS was used to determine the average free volume radii of gels. The gels with monomer and crosslinker composition varying from 10x1 to 10x6, 10x1 to 16x1 and 10x1 to 16x6 showed a radius near of 2.8Å. The free volume estimated for the gels no change with the variation of the monomer and crosslinker composition. The results are discussed in terms of the changes in the gels' structure due to polymer-polymer interactions.
Thermoreversible gel; positron annihilation; thermal analysis; free volume
