Novel hydrogels, physically crosslinked by hydrogen bonding of component polymers, were obtained by mixing aqueous solutions of carboxymethylchitosan (CMCS) with cellulose ethers including hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and methylcellulose (MC). The hydrogels were characterized by IR, XPS, WAXD, and SEM. The swelling and controlled drug release behaviors of hydrogels were also studied. The results indicate that intermacromolecular hydrogen bonding in CMCS/HEC is stronger than that in CMCS/MC. The swelling and drug release rate of hydrogels decrease as the interaction of component polymers increases. Both the swelling and drug release from hydrogels can be controlled by component polymer ratio. The hydrogels may be potential candidates for biomedical applications. VC 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 2350-2358, 2011