Control of the plasmon resonance from poly-dispersed silver nanoparticles

Poly-dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized through a polyol reaction and separated by a centrifuging process to control the target plasmon resonance frequency. When the ratio between the polar side group of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and silver ions is less than 1, AgNPs of various sizes and a broad extinction spectrum can be obtained through a single process. Following the physical separation of the poly-dispersed AgNPs, both the plasmon resonance and the size distribution can be tuned depending on the centrifuging speed. Fitting the measured absorption spectrum using a Mie calculation confirms that the centrifuging method of poly-dispersed AgNPs is compatible with a simple and reliable form of fabrication for selectively extraction AgNPs with a desired size distribution.