A series of water-swellable elastomers were prepared by blending chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) with poly(acrylic acid-acrylic amide) [P(AA-AM)]. The effect of component on its water-absorbent properties such as degree of swelling, swelling ratio, and weight loss ratio was discussed. Mechanical behavior of blends was also investigated. The results indicate that swelling rate of CPE/P(AA-AM) was very quick; the blend reached its equilibrium state in only 30 min. The equilibrium swelling ratio increased with increasing amounts of water-absorbent resin, the greater the amount of P(AA-AM), the higher the swelling degree. The effect of temperature on swelling ratio was very interesting, below 30degreesC, with an increase of temperature, the swelling ratio of blend increased, but above 30degreesC, with an increase of temperature, the swelling ratio decreased, indicating that this is a temperature-sensitive water-swellable elastomer. The effect of pH of solutions on the swelling behavior showed that water absorption of blends was heavily influenced by pH. The effect of different metal ions on the swelling behavior were also studied and the results showed that the absorption of blends was decreased dramatically with increasing the charge number of the cation, but was not influenced by radius and valence state of the anion. Owing to the compatibility of the amphiphilic graft copolymer (CPE-g-PEG), the equilibrium swelling ratio of the blends increased and the weight loss ratio decreased. Adding CPE-g-PEG can improve the mechanical behavior of blends. But too much grafted copolymer can worsen the tensile strength of blends. Tensile strength of blends decreased with an increase in P(AA-AM). After absorbing water, the material's strength is greater than in the dry state. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.