The influence of polyamide dendrimers on properties of PVA/PAA hydrogel films

Abstract Polyamide dendrimers, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were heat-treated for hydrogels films preparation. The effect of the dendrimers periphery type (OH, NH2), dendrimers content, and generation number on the properties of the hydrogels and adsorption performance at different pHs have been examined. Chemically bonded dendrimers into the hydrogel showed a high swelling ratio and high gel content compared to a neat film of PVA/PAA. The incorporation of dendrimers increases the swelling ability of the hydrogel. The highest swelling obtained was at low dendrimers content and high generation numbers G6-OH and G6-NH2. The diffusion of water within the hydrogel follows the Fickian character. Combining the polyamide dendrimers into the hydrogel films showed potential use in metal chelating and the adsorption of Ni2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, and Cu2+ ions onto the hydrogel. The adsorption results have shown dependency on pH, generation number, and dendrimers content. The adsorption increases at pH 6, high generation number, and high dendrimers content regardless of the periphery. The hydrogel containing G6-OH had high swelling and metal ion adsorption.