Size-controlled preparation of silver nanoparticles by a modified polyol method

In this work, size-controlled silver nanoparticles were prepared with liquid phase chemical method in the ethylene glycol/polyvinylpyrrolidone media. Crystal structure, size, thermal properties and surface chemistry state of the silver nanoparticles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermal analysis (TA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The particle size can be conveniently adjusted to 80 nm, 50 nm, 30 nm and 10 nm by controlling the experimental parameters such as the ratio of PVP to AgNO3, and the amount of ammonia added as complexing agent. The as-obtained silver nanoparticles can be dispersed in water, ethanol and other polar solvents, which has attractive applications in electrical and biological fields.