The formation and catalytic activity of silver nanoparticles in aqueous polyacrylate solutions

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized in the presence of polyacrylate through the reduction of silver nitrate by sodium borohydride in aqueous solution. The AgNO3 and polyacrylate carboxylate group concentrations were kept constant at 2.0 × 10–4 and 1.0 × 10–2 mol·L–1, respectively, while the ratio of [NaBH4]/[AgNO3] was varied from 1 to 100. The ultraviolet-visible plasmon resonance spectra of these solutions were found to vary with time prior to stabilizing after 27 d, consistent with changes of AgNP size and distribution within the polyacrylate ensemble occurring. These observations, together with transmission electron microscopic results, show this rearrangement to be greatest among the samples at the lower ratios of [NaBH4]/[AgNO3] used in the preparation, whereas those at the higher ratios showed a more even distribution of smaller AgNP. All ten of the AgNP samples, upon a one thousand-fold dilution, catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the temperature range 283.2–303.2 K with a substantial induction time being observed at the lower temperatures.