Optimizing Dispersion of Silver Nanoparticle Incorporated Hydrogel Matrix by Silver Ion-Reducing Agent Self-Assembly

Nanoparticle-incorporated hydrogels are promising for functional material design, but effective dispersion of nanoparticles within the polymer matrix remains a critical challenge. This study presents a prepolymerization self-assembly strategy to optimize the distribution of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for sensing applications using phloroglucinol (PHL) as both a reducing agent and a self-assembly template. By inducing assembly between PHL and silver ions prior to polymerization, we achieved a uniform distribution of AgNPs throughout the hydrogel matrix. Characterization results confirmed the formation of a porous nanocomposite structure with superior stability. Crucially, electrochemical evaluations revealed that the hydrogel exhibits high specificity toward 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). This selectivity is attributed to molecular recognition sites generated by the PHL-directed self-assembly. These findings offer a scalable approach to designing high-performance hydrogel sensors for the selective detection of explosives.