Relationships between formulation, bulk properties, and surface properties are investigated on series of copolymers prepared with hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA), methylmethacrylate (MMA), and ethylmethacrylate (EMA) monomers, and on the homopolymers PMMA and PHEMA. The bulk water content, swelling ratio, and static (sessile drop and captive bubble) and dynamic (Wilhelmy plate technique) contact angles and the electrokinetic potential (streaming potential) are measured. The bulk water content and swelling ratio of HEMA copolymers are proportional to the amount of HEMA and are linearly correlated to the contact angle hysteresis. Periodic instabilities in the wetting cycles, similar to Haines jumps, are observed with HEMA copolymers and support a bidirectional relaxation of the hydrophilic groups respectively towards external water and capillary water. The origin of the electrokinetic potential of these nonionizable polymers is attributed to specific adsorption of OH- ions. Its dependence on surface hydrophobicity and statistical length of the side-chains is interpreted in terms of the properties of water molecules near the interface. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.