SUMMARY

The present work aims to introduce the topic of hydrogel in the most broad way, yet focusing on swelling and absorption capacities of said materials. Throughout the work, each piece of knowledge is carefully inserted in the overall scheme to better understand all the experimental part which will be explained and replicated in lab. A first part of the present research is to provide an overall understanding of what is the main concept of hydrogel, specifically tackling all the aspects related to physical properties as charged polymers, elasticity, degree of cross - linking etc. and all the methods used, up to present days, to create the various different declinations of hydrogels, resembling a swelling oriented state of the art collection. The second part instead, aims to offer a first glance at on - field applications, exploiting hydrogels capacities of water retention and swelling, culminating in the in depth review of the first mathematical concepts used to model this behavior, up to the latest quantitative corrections to the very same models. A final in-lab experience will be used to back up all the theoretical assumptions and promote, through observation and curiosity, critical analysis on the obtained results.