Synthesis of Homogenous Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles have potential applications in various fields such as biology, medicine, electronics and optical components. Suitability for these applications depends on the size, shape and chemical composition of the nanoparticles. The method of synthesis plays an important role in determining many of these properties. In this study, the formation of silver nanoparticles has been studied via the chemical reduction of silver nitrate using trisodium citrate dehydrate as a reducing agent. The effect of process variables such as relative concentrations of reactants, and duration of heating on synthesis of silver nanoparticles was monitored. Characterization of the resulting nanomaterials has been studied via UV-Vis spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Within 6 minutes of initiation of reaction, nanoparticles of uniform size and spherical shape were produced. The UV-Vis spectra showed a unimodal absorption peak due to Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) at 410 nm. From TEM studies, it was estimated that average size of these silver nanoparticles were in the range of 8-10-nm. They were found to be stable for more than one month.

Keywords: Spherical Silver nanoparticles, Synthesis, Stable, 8-10nm size, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)