In this article, superabsorbent-ethanol polyacrylic acid gels were synthesized by free-radical aqueous polymerization method by using gamma rays as initiator and varying the concentration of the Zn2+ from 0.1 to 0.3%, which acts as crosslinker. Effect of irradiation dose, monomer concentration, kind, and concentration of the cross-linker on swelling behaviors of polyacrylic acid gels were investigated. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.