Abstract

In this work a novel synthesis methodology in aqueous medium of semi-interpenetrated nanohydrogels (HGNCs), of polyacrylamide (PAAm) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is presented. The synthesis of the HGNCs/AgNPs was carried out in two phases: in a first stage, the AgNPs were obtained using the polyol method with PVA as a reducing agent and stabilizer of the metal nanoparticles, and in a second stage, the hydrogel semi IPN PAAm/PVA/AgNPs was synthesized in situ. A weight ratio of 2:1 PVA:AgNO3 and 4:1 PAAm:PVA is used. To evaluate the quality of the HGNCs/AgNPs obtained, the morphological and swelling properties of PAAm and PAAm/PVA blank samples are also analyzed. The dispersion in the polymer matrix, polydispersity and particle size of the metallic nanophase is evaluated through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The structure and pore size of the synthesized hydrogels are analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) from lyophilized samples.