.
Hydrogel, adsorption, silver nanoparticles, SERS
Starch obtained from mango kernel Tommy Atkins was used in the manufacture of acrylamide hydrogels, starch-g-PAAm. These hybrid hydrogels were synthesized by radical in aqueous medium and characterized by FT-IR, 13C NMR, SEM, XRD, rheology and degree of swelling. The different molar proportions of starch / acrylamide and MBA used in the diet caused changes in viscoelastic properties, gelling kinetics, swelling degree and surface morphology. The synthesized hydrogels were evaluated for the potential of adsorption of phenolic pollutants from contaminated waters, proving to be efficient in removing these residues. (Qeq) values ranged from 2 to 20 mg / g and were strongly dependent on acrylamide, starch and MBA concentrations in the system. The type of adsorption isotherm that best fitted was that of the Freundlich model, with R2 values between 0.95 - 0.97. Hydrogels also showed efficiency in the release of these phenolic pollutants, indicating the possibility of reuse of these materials. In addition, in a second strand of applicability in contaminated waters, hydrogels were able to incorporate silver nanoparticles in their three-dimensional networks, in order to obtain nanocomposites with potential to detect possible water contaminants in the order of 10-6 mol. L-1 using the surface amplified Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technique.