Photoinduced Synthesis of Silver/polymer Nanocomposites

Direct photoreduction and photosensitization are powerful approaches for the in-situ synthesis in a polymer matrix. A silver-acrylate nanocomposite was prepared using a novel one-pot strategy involving simultaneous photoinduced reduction and free radical polymerization processes. The fabrication of metal nanocomposite was performed using an acrylate functionalized oligomer (polyethylene glycol 600 diacrylate) and a silver salt (AgNO3). The formation of Ag-nanoparticles was followed by UV-Vis spectroscopy which shows a surface plasmon band at a wavelength range between 410 and 440 nm. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the synthesized nanoparticles were spherical in shape with a diameter between 5 to 20 nm. The polymerization process was followed quantitatively by infrared spectroscopy, monitoring the disappearance of the characteristic bands for the acrylate double bonds (1410 cm(-1). The optimum conditions for obtaining the silver-polymer nanocomposites have been determined (silver precursor concentration, molar ratio silver precursor/photoinitiator, irradiation time and intensity). A reaction mechanism was proposed to explain the polymerization rate dependence on the silver cations content.