Formation of silver nanoparticles on shells of polyelectrolyte capsules using silver-mirror reaction

Polymer capsules prepared by the successive adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are modified by silver nanoparticles using the silver-mirror reaction. Substantial differences in the structure of nanocomposite polyelectrolyte shells of capsules formed on cores composed of polystyrene and CaCO₃ are revealed by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of the conditions of silver-mirror reaction (time and temperature) on the amount, size, and the distribution of silver nanoparticles over the capsule surface is studied. It is shown by small-angle X-ray scattering that, upon the formation of nanocomposite capsule shell on calcium carbonate microspherulites, the size of silver nanoparticles is limited primarily by the pore sizes of CaCO₃ cores.