Patent ID: 7037978

Claim:
A quasi-interpenetrating network of polymer chains, the chains comprising: (a) linear polyacrylamide (LPA) chains in the form of a main frame wherein the lower boundary of the range of the weight average molecular weight is approximately 0.05 million g/mole, and wherein the upper boundary of the range of the weight average molecular weight is approximately 25 million g/mole, and wherein the lower boundary of the range of the radius of gyration is approximately 10 nm, and wherein the upper boundary of the range of the radius of gyration is approximately 350 nm; and (b) polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA) chains prepared by polymerizing PDMA in the presence of the LPA main frame, wherein the LPA and PDMA chains are entangled within one another and interpenetrate one another, and wherein the quasi-interpenetrating network has substantially no chemical cross-linking.