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Polymeric hydrogel with the incorporation of nano to submicro-meter sized materials forms an exhilarating new generation of composite hydrogels. Most of the applications of hydrogels are in aqueous environments in which they swell to a very high degree. This emanates from low density of the polymer chains, making them highly inferior in terms of physical strength and their prospective applications. In order to address the weak mechanical properties, hydrogels have successfully prepared with high tensile strength and toughness by reinforcing the acrylamide (AAm) network with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) modified silica particles (MSiO₂) as chemical cross-linker. The MSiO₂ cross-linkers are prepared from narrow-dispersed silica particles (SiO₂) of 100 nm, 200 nm, and 300 nm diameters to investigate the effect of cross-linker sizes on the mechanical strengths of hydrogels. The presence of …