Rheological Property Modulation of Polymer Networks Based on γ-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Association

γ-Cyclodextrin (γ-CD) and three alkyl groups (C₁₂, C₁₆, C₁₈) with different lengths were grafted onto poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Polymer networks were prepared by mixing γ-CD and Cn(n=12, 16, 18) modified PAA based on the inclusion associations between alkyl and γ-CD grafts. Rheological method was employed to study the properties of polymer networks. The γ-CD/alkyl inclusion compounds were formed at a stoichiometric ratio of 1:2, i.e. two alkyl groups entered into one γ-CD cavity．At low polymer concentration (w≤1.7%), the inclusion associations between γ-CD and alkyl grafts were dominated while the hydrophobic associations among the hydrophobic alkyl groups became stronger upon increasing polymer concentration. Viscosity of polymer solutions could be modulated by addition of γ-CD and surfactant SDS and thus regulating the structure of polymer networks.