Materials Chemistry and Physics 280 (2022) 125731 Available online 19 January 2022 0254-0584/© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Characterization and optimization of magnetic Gum-PVP/SiO 2 nanocomposite hydrogel for removal of contaminated dyes Asmaa Sayed a , Ghada A. Mahmoud a, * , Heba Said b , Ayman A. Diab b a Polymer Chemistry Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt b October University for Modern Science and Art (MSA), Faculty of Biotechnology, Egypt HIGHLIGHTS G R A P H I C A L ABSTRACT • Gum Acacia/polyvinylpyrrolidone/sil- ica nanocomposite prepared by gamma radiation. • In situ preparation of magnetic nano- particles in nanocomposite hydrogel. • Investigation by FTIR, XRD, and TEM analysis. • Using the nanocomposite for removal of Fuchsine basic and methyl orange dyes. • Performance of isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamic of adsorption. A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Adsorption Characterization Hydrogel Nano composite Radiation Dye effuents ABSTRACT Gum-polyvinylpyrrolidone/silica (Gum-PVP/SiO 2 ) nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared using gamma radiation-induced copolymerization and crosslinking. The magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel was carried out by in situ method. The structure of the magnetic and non-magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel was investigated and analyzed by FTIR, XRD, and TEM analysis. The swelling percentage decreases with increasing radiation dose due to the cross-linking is increasing by the irradiation dose. The factors that affect the adsorption behavior of the nanocomposite hydrogel toward basic and acidic dyes were studied. The magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel response a bit higher adsorption properties than the non-magnetic one. On the other hand, the nanocomposites showed better adsorption behavior towards Fuchsine basic dye (FC) than the methyl orange acidic dye (MO). The prepared nanocomposite has high adsorption effciency that is recommended in treatment of dye effuents. 1. Introduction Textile production is one of the oldest contributors to the national economic growth and source of income for farmers [1,2]. Unfortunately, It consumes excessive amounts of chemicals in operation that are harmful and even diffcult to be removed from water [3]. Textile in- dustry generates a huge amount of wastewater that negatively impacts the environment. It may proceed with health risks by using for irrigation or drinking [1,4]. Many techniques have been used for a long time for the purifcation of water [5–10], among these different techniques, adsorption is better due to its high performance, low effort, and simplicity [11]. Hydrogel is physically well-defned three-dimensional porous structure [12]. It seems like a desirable absorbent because it contains * Corresponding author. E-mail address: ghadancrrt@yahoo.com (G.A. Mahmoud). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Chemistry and Physics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matchemphys https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2022.125731 Received 3 July 2021; Received in revised form 11 December 2021; Accepted 7 January 2022