COLLOIDAL SILVER NANOPARTICLES PROTECTED BY WATER-SOLUBLENONIONIC POLYMERS AND “SOFT” POLYACIDS

Stable silver colloids were prepared by the in situ reduction of silver nitrate AgNO3 in the presence of various protective polymers. Several nonionic polymers and polyacids, and one anionic polyelectrolyte were investigated for their ability to stabilize such silver colloids. UV-vis spectroscopy was employed to characterize the colloidally-stable silver samples, and the particle sizes, size distributions, and particle shapes were determined by transmission electron microscopy. The interactions among the silver precursors and colloids, and the polymeric matrices can have an influence on the nanoparticle features, the optical properties, and the long-term colloidal stability of the colloid dispersions.