Docosanyl acrylate (DCA) monomer was copolymerized with different monomer feed ratios of cinnamoyloxy ethyl methacrylate (CEMA) or methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer to produce different compositions for DCA/CEMA or DCA/MMA copolymer with low conversions.H-1 NMR spectroscopy was used to confirm the copolymer structure. DCA was crosslinked with different mol % of CEMA or MMA using dibenzoyl peroxide as initiator and various weight percentages of either 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane triacrylates or 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane tri-m thacrylates crosslinkers. The effects of monomer feed composition, crosslinker concentration, and the hydrophobicity of the copolymer units on swelling properties of the crosslinked polymers were studied through the oil absorbency tests. The network parameters, such as polymer solvent interaction (chi), effective crosslink density (upsilon(e)), equilibrium modulus of elasticity (G(T)) and average molecular weight between crosslinks (M-c), were determined and correlated with the structure of the synthesized copolymers. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 109: 37043713,2008.