A cross-linked copolymer of acrylamide (AM) with 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) was prepared by solution polymerization. In this reaction, potassium persulfate (PPS) and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) were used as initiator and cross-linker, respectively. This copolymer, poly(acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMA), can absorb up to 1749 g/g of dry polymer in distilled water and 87 g/g of dry polymer in 0.9 wt % NaCl aqueous solution at room temperature. The PAMA also has excellent performance in absorbing pure alcohols. Its absorbencies in methanol and glycol are about 310 g/g and 660 g/g, respectively. The effects of various salt solutions on the swelling properties were studied systematically, and the relationship between the absorbency and the concentrations of the different salt solutions can be expressed as Q = kc(n). Experimental results indicate that the absorbencies were stable at different water temperatures. The swelling rates of the copolymer in distilled water and a water/ethanol mixture (V-water:V-alcohol = 1:1) were also investigated, and the results showed that PAMA could absorb 992 g of distilled water per gram of dry polymer and 739 g of water/ethanol mixture per gram of dry polymer in five minutes. The PAMA has such good water retention at higher temperatures that the swollen gel can retain 71.6 and 49.5% of the maximum absorbency after being heated for 9 hours at 60 and 80 degreesC, respectively. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.