Amphiphilic polymers as pseudotemplates in the synthesis of metal sols

The effects of poly(ethylene glycol) and its amphiphilic polymers on the products of copper ion reduction in aqueous solutions are studied. Whereas coarse metal dispersions are formed in poly(ethylene glycol) solutions, stable sols of metal nanoparticles with diameters of 2 nm and above are produced in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol monolaurate) and poly(ethylene glycol monostearate). A poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene glycol) block copolymer (Pluronic) also stabilizes copper nanoparticles; however, the interaction product of this copolymer with nanoparticles forms a precipitate. According to the electron microscopy data, sol particles comprise polymer micelles containing included copper nanoparticles.