Image-receiving element with crosslinked hydrophilic polymer containing processing composition

A method for forming an image-receiving element for use in a diffusion transfer process which comprises the steps of

• (a) coating a transparent support with an image-receiving layer and a hydrophilic polymer;
• (b) gelling said polymer to form a hydrogel by subjecting said polymer to sufficient ionizing radiation to form said hydrogel;
• and
• (c) imbibing aqueous photographic processing composition into said hydrogel.

A method for forming a diffusion transfer image which comprises the steps of

• (a) exposing a photosensitive element comprising a first support carrying at least a first photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer;
• (b) superposing an image-receiving element to the outermost layer of said photosensitive element;
• said image-receiving element comprising a second support carrying an image-receiving layer and a hydrogel, said hydrogel comprising a hydrophilic polymer cross-linked with ionizing radiation and an aqueous alkaline photographic processing composition;
• whereby a sufficient quantity of said processing composition is absorbed by said photosensitive element to develop said photosensitive silver halide layer, and transferring an imagewise distribution of image-forming material to said image-receiving layer.