Professor Alexei R. Khokhlov was educated at Moscow State University receiving his Doctorate in Science in 1983. He is currently Head of the Chair of Polymer Physics and Crystallophysics, Physics Department at the Moscow State University.

Professor Khokhlovs other appointments include being Head of the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Polymers at the Institute of Organo-Element Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences; Director if Centre for Advanced Experimental Facilities, Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research and is a  Titular Member of IUPAC Macromolecular Division Committee

He has also been honoured with the USSR Prize in Physics for Young Scientists (1982), received the Humboldt Research Award, Germany (1992), Soros Professor of Physics (1994) and he is a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2000).

His research interests include:

Polymer physics, statistical physics of macromolecules, physical chemistry of polyelectrolytes and ionomers, microphase separation in polymer systems, polymer liquid crystals, polyelectrolyte responsive gels, topological restrictions in polymer systems, dynamics of concentrated polymer solutions and melts, coil-globule transitions, associating polymers, computer simulation of polymer systems.

Professor Khokhlov has published around 250 scientific papers, 6 books and 15 article reviews. He is a member of various Editorial Boards, including Vysokomolekularnie Soedinenia (Polymer Science USSR), Die Makromolekulare Chemie, Theory and Simulations and the International Journal of Polymer Materials.

Hydrogels are polymer networks capable to swell in water. The presentation will focus on the review of the most important properties of hydrogels. First, I will discuss the swelling of hydrogels in water. Here the most interesting property is the superabsorbing capability of polyelectrolyte gels. This property is forming the basis of the industry of superabsorbers (e.g. for diapers, water storage in agriculture etc). I will show that superabsorbing capability can be fully explained by the presence of counter ions in polyelectrolyte gels, therefore this is the effect of general physical nature. Next, I will describe collapse phenomenon of hydrogels in poor solvents. This is a very cooperative effect, due to which hydrogels are also called responsive gels. Gel collapse is used in many applications, I will describe the works of our lab aimed to synthesize pH-sensitive gels for controlled drug release. A very important set of problems is connected with the formation of inhomogeneities in responsive hydrogels. I will describe two effects of this kind: microphase separation in polyelectrolyte gels, and formation of regular micellar structure in polyelctrolyte gels interacting with oppositely charged surfactants. The latter effect was used by us for the production of catalytic metal nanoparticles immobilized in the gels, therefore giving the system with regulated catalytic activity. Finally, I will describe physical hydgogels formed by associating polymers, and their practical applications, such as water thickeners and viscosity modifiers.