Effect of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) on the Size,Shape, and Rate of Silver Nanoparticles Formation

The kinetics of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) stabilized silver nanoparticles have been studied spectrophotometrically at 425 nm (λ_max of silver sol) in the absence and presence of water soluble polymer (poly(vinyl alcohol); PVA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and viscosity measurements were used to determine the size, shape, and the size distribution of the silver nanoparticles. The reaction follows the same behavior with respect to [CTAB], [tri-sodium citrate], and [Ag⁺] in both the media indicating the silver nonoparticles were formed through the same reaction path. The sigmoid nature of the kinetic curves suggests an autocatalytic path in the growth of nanoparticles. The reaction rate is increased by increasing [CTAB]. The presence of PVA inhibits nucleation and retards the rate of particle growth, absorbance and size of the particles. Polymer-surfactant interactions were analyzed based on the viscosity of the reaction mixture.     

Lyotropic liquid crystal-assisted synthesis of micro- and nanoparticles of silver

A simple, one-step approach for the synthesis of micro- and nanoparticles of silver by employing a lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) template is described. Anisotropic silver particles are synthesised by reducing an appropriate amount of precursor silver nitrate using a mild reducing agent ascorbic acid in presence of a hexagonal LLC medium, without the aid of any external stabilising agents. In this synthesis, precursor concentration, type of the reducing agent and LLC phase are found to significantly influence the particle size and morphology. Either a decrease in the concentration of silver nitrate or a change in the reducing agent, from ascorbic acid to sodium borohydride in the same reaction medium, yielded quasi-spherical nanoparticles. Besides, replacing the hexagonal LLC medium with a lamellar phase during the synthesis using ascorbic acid also resulted in the formation of spherical particles in nanometre scale. As a comparison, gold nanoparticle synthesis is carried out in hexagonal and lamellar LLC phases. Similar to the observations made in the silver particle synthesis, branched anisotropic particles are formed in the hexagonal phase and quasi-spherical particles are produced in the lamellar phase. A possible growth mechanism for the formation of these particles based on the phase structure of the LLC medium is discussed.     

Kinetics of silver nanoparticle growth in aqueous polymer solutions: 1st Nano Update

In this paper we report the effect of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on the silver nanoparticles formation of different morphologies by using silver nitrate and citric acid as the oxidant and reductant, respectively, for the first time. Our transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results suggest that the presence of PVA has significant impact on the size, shape, and the size distribution of the silver nanoparticles. The reaction follows a zero-order kinetics in [citric acid] as well as in [silver(I)] in the absence and presence of PVA. It was found that PVA and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) concentrations show no significant effects on the rate of CTAB-stabilized silver nanoparticles formation, whereas in presence of PVA, the reaction rate increases with (CTAB). Both spectrophotometric and TEM measurement demonstrated that the orange silver sol consists of aggregates, whereas the purple sol does not contain the aggregated arrangement. On the basis of various observations, the most plausible mechanism has been envisaged.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the formation of silver nanoparticles by reduction of silver (I) with maltose in the presence of some active surfactants in aqueous medium

The kinetics and mechanism of the formation of silver nanoparticles by reduction of Ag⁺ with maltose were studied spectrophotometrically by monitoring the absorbance change at 412 nm in aqueous and micellar media at a temperature range 45–60 °C. The reaction was carried out under pseudo-first-order conditions by taking the [maltose] (>tenfold) the [Ag⁺]. A mechanism of the reaction between silver ion and maltose is proposed, and the rate equation derived from the mechanism was consistent with the experimental rate law. The effect of surfactants, namely cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, a cationic surfactant) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, an anionic surfactant), on the reaction rate has been studied. The enthalpy and the entropy of the activation were calculated using the transition state theory equation. The particle size of silver sols was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and some physiochemical and spectroscopic tools.     

Preparation and characterization of silver nanoparticles by chemical reduction method

Silver nanoparticles were prepared by the reduction of AgNO(3) with aniline in dilute aqueous solutions containing cetyltrimethlyammonium bromide, CTAB. Nanoparticles growth was assessed by UV-vis spectroscopy and the average particle size and the size distribution were determined from transmission electron microscopy, TEM. As the reaction proceeds, a typical plasmon absorption band at 390-450nm appears for the silver nanoparticles and the intensities increase with the time. Effects of [aniline], [CTAB] and [Ag(+)] on the particle formation rate were analyzed. The apparent rate constants for the formation of silver nanoparticles first increased until it reached a maximum then decreased with [aniline]. TEM photographs indicate that the silver sol consist of well dispersed agglomerates of spherical shape nanoparticles with particle size range from 10 to 30nm. Aniline concentrations have no significant effect on the shape, size and the size distribution of Ag-nanoparticles. Aniline acts as a reducing as well as adsorbing agent in the preparation of roughly spherical, agglomerated and face-centered-cubic silver nanoparticles.     

Fabrication of highly porous poly (ɛ-caprolactone) fibers for novel tissue scaffold via water-bath electrospinning

A non-toxic route was used for the preparation of silver nanoparticles using tryptophan (Trp) as reducing/stabilizing agent in the presence of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Role of water soluble neutral polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) has been studied on the growth of yellow colour silver nanoparticle formation. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) by observing the size and distribution of silver nanoparticles. As the reaction proceeded, particles grew up to about 10 and 20 nm in the presence and absence of PVP, respectively, as determined by TEM. The formed nanoparticles showed the highest absorption plasmon band at 425 nm. Rate of silver sol formation increases with the [Trp], [CTAB] and [PVP], reaching a limiting value and then decreases with the increase in concentrations of these reagents. It was observed that nanoparticles are spherical, aggregated and poly dispersed in the absence and presence of PVP, respectively. On the basis of kinetic data, a suitable mechanism is proposed and discussed for the silver sol formation.     

Shape tunable synthesis of anisotropic gold nanostructures through binary surfactant mixtures

In recent years, much effort has been made to produce gold (Au) nanorods of different sizes through the use of binary surfactant mixtures via a seed-mediated growth approach. However, how the ratio of two different surfactants influences the shape of the resulting Au nanoparticles remains to be elucidated. Here, we report the shape-controlled synthesis of Au nanoparticles using a binary surfactant mixture of CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) and DDAB (didodecyldimethylammonium bromide) via a silver-assisted seed-mediated growth approach. Decreasing the CTAB/DDAB ratio results in a shape transition from Au nanorods to elongated tetrahexahedra and finally to Au bipyramids. The results showed significant improvement in the yield of Au bipyramidal type nanoparticles in different sizes (nm to μm) by using binary surfactant mixtures without any need for shape selection procedure. By varying the pH and concentration of ascorbic acid, we can control the shape and size of Au nanoparticles (i.e., truncated bipyramids, dogbones, and nanodumbbells) at fixed CTAB/DDAB ratios. A preliminary growth mechanism has been proposed based on the change in the mixed micelle soft-template induced by the increasing concentration of DDAB and reaction parameters (i.e., pH, concentration of ascorbic acid). These results constitute the advances in the understanding for synthesizing anisotropic Au nanoparticles of tunable optical properties via engineering the design of a soft-template. These anisotropic Au nanoparticles, especially, bipyramids of different morphologies and sizes are potential candidates for the enhancement of the optical response and developing label-free biosensing devices.     

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes by carbazole-tailed amphiphilic imidazolium ionic liquids in aqueous solutions

Spectrophotometric, kinetic, and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) data for the formation of Ag-nanoparticles using aspartic acid (Asp) as reductant are reported for the first time. In the formation of transparent silver sols, an alkaline medium is required. The silver nanoparticles are spherical, uniform particle size, and strongly depend on the [Asp]. The apparent rate constant decreases with [Asp] (from 4.0 to 24.0×10(-4)moldm(-3), the rate constants decreased from 2.6×10(-4) to 0.3×10(-4)s(-1)). For a certain reaction time, i.e., 30min, the absorbance of the silver sol first increased until it reached a maximum, and then decreased with [Asp]. Kinetic and TEM results indicate that the size of the Ag-nanoparticles depends on the [Asp]. It is proposed that the oxidation of Asp occurs by the adsorbed Ag(+) ions on the surface of Ag(2)O particles.     

Nucleation and growth kinetics of silver nanoparticles prepared by glutamic acid in micellar media

The title reaction in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been followed spectrophotometrically at 325 nm. In the process of reduction, characteristic surface resonance plasmon absorption peaks appear for the silver nanoparticles (NP) and the intensities increase with reaction time. UV–visible spectra suggest that [CTAB] and glutamic acid influence the morphology of the silver NP and act as shape‐directing agents, whereas [Ag⁺] has no effect. The effects of the total [glutamic acid], [CTAB], and [Ag⁺] on the apparent rate constants of silver NP formation are determined. The sigmoidal curve of absorbance versus reaction time indicates an autocatalytic path involved in the growth process. The α‐amino and ? COOH groups undergo chemical transformation (oxidative deamination and decarboxylation). The particles are spherical in shape with average diameters ranging between 12 and 25 nm, and their size distribution is wide. A plausible mechanism has been proposed with the following rate law: (d[silver sol])/dt = k[Ag⁺][Glutamic acid]_T. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 680–691, 2012     

Effect of hydrophilic comonomer and surfactant type on the colloidal stability and size distribution of carboxyl- and amino-functionalized polystyrene particles prepared by miniemulsion polymerization

Carboxyl and amino-functionalized polystyrene latex particles were synthesized by the miniemulsion copolymerization of styrene and acrylic acid or 2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride (AEMH). The reaction was started by using an oil-soluble initiator, such as 2,2'-azobis(2-methylbutyronitrile) (V-59). The effect of the functional monomer content and type of surfactant (non-ionic versus ionic) on the particle size and particle size distribution was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A bimodal particle size distribution was observed for functionalized latex particles prepared in the presence of the non-ionic surfactant (i.e., Lutensol AT-50) when 1 wt % of acrylic acid or 3 wt % of AEMH as a comonomer was employed. The copolymer particle nucleation was studied by using a highly hydrophobic fluorescent dye. From the obtained results, the formation of bimodal particle size distribution may be attributed to a budding-like effect, which takes place during the earlier stage of polymerization and is caused by the additional stabilizing energy originated from the ionic groups of a functional polymer. The reaction mechanism of particle formation in the presence of non-ionic and ionic surfactants has been proposed. The amount of the surface functional groups was determined from polyelectrolyte titration data.     

Micellar effects on the electrochemistry of dopamine and its selective detection in the presence of ascorbic acid

The electrochemistry of dopamine (3-hydroxytyramine) was studied by cyclic voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles at different pH. The anodic peak potential (E(pa)) and peak current (I(pa)) were found to be remarkably dependent on the charge and the concentration of the surfactant. The E(pa) and I(pa) change abruptly around the critical micellar concentration (CMC) of the surfactants and reach a plateau above the CMC. The E(pa) at the plateau shifts to more positive values in the cationic CTAB micellar solution, e.g. from 180 mV vs SCE in aqueous solution at pH 6.8 to 410 mV in CTAB micelle, whilst it shifts to less positive values in the anionic SDS micellar solution, e.g. 150 mV at pH 6.8. Therefore, the overlapped anodic peaks of dopamine and ascorbic acid in the mixture of the two compounds in aqueous solutions can be separated in CTAB micelles since the micelle shifts the E(pa) of ascorbic acid to less positive values. The two peaks are separated by ca. 400 mV at pH 6.8 in CTAB micelle, hence dopamine can be determined in the presence of 100 times excess of ascorbic acid. In SDS micelle and in the presence of ascorbic acid, the I(pa) of dopamine is greatly enhanced due to the catalytic oxidation of the latter that enables quantitative determination of both compounds.     

Shape-directing role of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in the preparation of silver nanoparticles

We report a simple chemical reduction method for the synthesis of different colored silver nanoparticles, AgNP, using tyrosine as a reducing agent. Effects of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB, and tyrosine concentrations are analyzed by UV-visible measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the mode of AgNP aggregation. The position and shape of the surface resonance plasmon absorption bands strongly depend on the reaction conditions, i.e., [CTAB], [tyrosine], and reaction time. Sub-, post-, and dilution-micellar effects are accountable for the fast and slow nucleation and growth processes. Spectrophotometric measurement also shows that the average size and the polydispersity of AgNP increase with [CTAB] in the solution. CTAB acted as a shape-directing agent.     

Kinetics of nucleation and growth of metal nanoparticles in the presence of surfactants

Numerical simulation has been performed for the process of nucleation and growth of nanoparticles in the presence of surfactants. Surfactant molecules are adsorbed on the surface of nanoparticles and decelerate their growth in supersaturated solutions. It has been assumed that nanoparticles are completely blocked after a certain degree of surface coverage is achieved, and they cease to grow. It has been demonstrated that, at low concentrations, surfactants influence the average size and the width of the size distribution of nanoparticles; i.e., the average particle size decreases and the distribution becomes narrower with the growth of surfactant concentration. At high concentrations, the effect of surfactants is more dramatic; namely, the particle size distribution becomes bimodal. At high surfactant concentrations, the periodic supply of a precursor, which serves as a source of monomers (metal atoms), may result in the formation of polymodal ensembles of the nanoparticles.     

Crystal modification of calcium sulfate dihydrate in the presence of some surface-active agents

The effect of surface-active agents (surfactants), as additives, on the crystallization of gypsum was studied under conditions of the simulated dihydrate process of phosphoric acid production. Calcium hydrogen phosphate and sulfuric acid were mixed with dilute phosphoric acid at 80 degrees C, and the turbidity of the reaction mixture was measured at different time periods to determine the induction time of gypsum crystal formation. Two types of surfactants, namely, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a cationic surfactant and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant were added to investigate their effects on the crystallization of gypsum. Addition of CTAB decreased the induction time and increased the growth efficiency, while addition of SDS increased the induction time and decreased the growth efficiency compared with the baseline (without additives). The surface energy increased with CTAB and decreased with SDS compared with the baseline. The percentage of fine crystals decreased in the presence of CTAB and increased in the presence of SDS compared with the baseline. Gypsum morphology changed from needle-like in the absence of additives to tabular in the presence of CTAB.     

Synthesis and characterisation of silver nanoparticles in viscous solvents and its transfer into non-polar solvents

Room temperature synthesis of silver nanoparticles has been successfully achieved by adding NaOH acting as an accelerator for the reduction of silver ions in ethylene glycol and glycerol without adding any external reducing agent. Highly monodisperse silver particles are obtained in the presence of various stabilisers such as PVP, SiO₂ and SDS. Nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 25 nm and a mean deviation of 2 nm could be obtained under experimental conditions. The silver nanoparticles so obtained could be easily transferred to chloroform containing CTAB, giving rise to CTAB stabilised silver nanoparticles having sizes of around 25 nm. The newly found role of OH⁻ stabilisation was used to formulate a mechanism for the formation of silver nanoparticles in ethylene glycol and glycerol. In this mechanism, silver nanoparticles are stabilised in ethylene glycol by the adsorbed OH⁻ ions.     

Surfactant-assisted synthesis,characterizations, and room temperature ammonia sensing mechanism of nanocrystalline CuO

CuO nanocrystalline powder has been synthesized by a sol?gel auto combustion route with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as cationic surfactant, and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as anionic surfactant. The powder samples are characterized by TGA/DTA, XRD, FESEM, and TEM techniques. Thermal analysis of the dried gel samples shows that addition of surfactant in the precursor increases the heat of reaction, which is evolved in the decomposition of metal citrate complex. The CTAB and SDS addition in the reaction mixture lowers the average crystallite size to few tens of nanometer. Surfactant doping in precursor causes a variation in lattice strain and changes to its type to compressive. CuO nanoparticles are bound together into facets–like weakly aggregated clusters, as indicated by FESEM images. TEM micrographs indicate the porous, nearly spherical particles having crystallite size around 7 and 18 nm for CTAB and SDS surfactant assisted CuO samples respectively. CuO nanoparticles assembled as thick film have been tested for their response to 100 ppm ammonia gas at room temperature. Cationic surfactant assisted sample shows maximum response to ammonia as compared to anionic surfactant. The CTAB assisted sensor shows almost completes recovery in 500 s whereas SDS assisted sample shows 75% recovery in the same time. The ammonia response of the films obeys the Elovich equation. The response rate of sensor is found to be maximum for CTAB assisted CuO films as compared to other samples. The kinetics of the response reaction shows that the ionic surfactants assisted CuO follows second order reaction kinetics.     

Silver nanoparticle formation in microemulsions acting both as template and reducing agent

A novel method of making silver nanoparticles in water-in-oil microemulsions using the surfactants as both the reducing agent and as the structure-directing agent is presented. Since no external strong reducing agent is used the kinetics of the formation is slow, which makes it possible to study the silver nanoparticle formation in situ. The microemulsions used were based on either the nonionic surfactant Brij30 (C12E4), which reduces the silver ion to metallic silver and is thereby partly oxidized, or mixtures of Brij30 and AOT (sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, where the latter does not reduce the silver ions. The influences of silver ion and nonionic surfactant concentrations on the formation kinetics of the nanoparticles were followed in situ using UV-vis spectroscopy, and both parameters were found to have a big influence. The microemulsion droplet's size, size distribution, and shape were examined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the formed silver nanoparticles were studied using both transmission electron microscopy and SAXS. The SAXS measurements showed that the presence of silver nitrate does not affect the microemulsion systems noticeably and that the droplet's size and shape are retained during the particle formation. It is shown that the size and morphology of the particles do not directly follow the shape and size of the microemulsion droplets even though there is a relation between the droplet size and the radii of the formed particles.     

Growth kinetics of sulfur nanoparticles in aqueous surfactant solutions

Sulfur is an important element has many practical applications when present as nanoparticles. Despite the practicable applications, limited studies are available in the literature related to synthesis of sulfur nanoparticles. Growth kinetics of colloidal sulfur particles synthesized from aqueous solutions using different surfactants have been studied here. The effects of different parameters such as reactant concentration, temperature, sonication, types of acids, types of surfactants, and even surfactant concentration are studied on the growth kinetics. Since the reaction rate is fast, particle growth depends on the parameters which affect diffusion of sulfur molecules. There is a linear relationship found among the reactant concentration and the particle coarsening rate constant. The growth kinetics was studied in the presence of different surfactants such as nonionic (poly(oxyethylene) p-tert-octylphenyl ether, TX-100), anionic (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, SDBS), cationic (cetyltrimethyammonium bromide, CTAB) and results show the coarsening constant changes according to the following order: water>TX-100>SDBS>CTAB. The particle growth rate also depends on the surfactant concentration, coarsening rate constant decreases with the increase in surfactant concentration and become constant close to the critical micellar concentration (CMC). The coarsening rate constant also highly depends on the types of acid used as catalyst.     

Surfactant-assisted electrodeposition and improved electrochemical capacitance of silver-doped manganese oxide pseudocapacitor electrodes

Ag-doped MnO₂ pseudocapacitor electrodes with dendrite and foam-like structures were successfully produced for the first time using an electrodeposition method employing structure-directing agents, i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) acting through micelle formation at solid–liquid interfaces. Doping silver with MnO₂ enhanced their electronic conductance. Controlling pseudocapacitor electrode morphologies with surfactants accelerated ion transport. The specific capacitance values of the Ag-doped MnO₂ films produced with SDS and CTAB, measured in 0.5?M Na₂SO₄ at a scan rate of 5?mV?s^?1 were 551 and 557?F?g^?1, respectively. These values are about 2.7-fold higher than that of the pure MnO₂ film and about 1.4-fold higher than that of the Ag-doped MnO₂ film made without using surfactants.     

Preparation of highly dispersed core/shell-type titania nanocapsules containing a single Ag nanoparticle

Core/shell-type titania nanocapsules containing a single Ag nanoparticle were prepared. Ag nanoparticles were prepared using the reduction of silver nitrate with hydrazine in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as protective agent. The sol-gel reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) was used to prepare core/shell-type titania nanocapsules with CTAB-coated Ag nanoparticles as the core. TEM observations revealed that the size of the core (Ag particle) and the thickness of the shell (titania) of the core/shell particles obtained are about 10 nm and 5-10 nm, respectively. In addition, the nanocapsules were found to be dispersed in the medium as individual particles without aggregation. Moreover, titania coating caused the surface plasmon absorption of Ag nanoparticles to shift toward the longer wavelength side.