Regulating natural galactomannan into composite hydrogels for improved adhesion, anti-swelling capability and efficient dye pollution removal

Constructing bio-based composite hydrogel materials are receiving much interest, while regulating the interactions of the hydrogel components and integrating functions for multi-application meet various challenges. Herein, composite hydrogels were prepared by cross-linking of poly-acrylamide (PAM) and poly-N-[3-(Dimethylamino) propyl] acrylamide (PDMAPAA), assisted by natural galactomannan (GM) regulation. Even distribution and compatibility of GM in the three-dimensional materials were proved by a series of chemical and morphological characterizations, which favored the improvement of mechanical properties (~80 kPa) and flexibility. Besides, the hydrogels were well-connected with double networks of noncovalent intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions and hydrophobic interactions, in addition to covalent-linked polymers. Due to great amount of inner hydrogen bond linkages, the hydrogels present satisfying anti-swelling capabilities (<15 %), exhibiting high potential for application in water treatment. Meanwhile, abundant surface functional groups provided possibilities to form interactive layer with the various substrates surface, exhibiting highly adhesive properties. Significant dyes adsorption capabilities were revealed on the hydrogels according to the electrostatic attraction with Congo red and hydrogen bond interactions with Brilliant green respectively. Thus, the proposed composite hydrogels integrated multi-functions due to the tuning the surface groups and cross-linking interactions, which provided deeper understanding on bio-based materials on fields of water treatment and environmental protection.