Poly(ethylene
imine) (PEI) has abundant amino groups in a macromolecular
chain and can be used as a graft source for metal nanocomposites,
which shows excellent ability to form stable complexes with heavy
metal ions. In this work, a simple and convenient method was used
to make PEI into a stable hydrogel with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide-N-hydroxysuccinimide and subsequently coprecipitate with
silver nitrate solution or palladium chloride solution to form metal-loaded
composite hydrogels. In addition, the characterizations of composite
hydrogels were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, specific
surface area tests (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller), X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy, and ultraviolet spectroscopy. The properties of composite
hydrogels on the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol were studied.
The results showed that the composite hydrogels could be easily separated
from the water environment, which indicated the large-scale potential
application in organic catalytic degradation and wastewater treatment.