Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Creating Sub-50 Nm Nanofluidic Junctions in PDMS Microfluidic Chip via Self-Assembly Process of Colloidal Particles
Published on: March 13, 2016
First correlation of nanoparticle size-dependent formation with the ionic liquid anion molecular volume
Engelbert Redel1, Ralf Thomann, Christoph Janiak
1Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstrasse 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Stable silver nanoparticles are obtained reproducibly by hydrogen reduction of different inorganic precursors from AgIX salts (X = BF4, PF6, OTf) dissolved in the ionic liquids BMim+BF4-, BMim+PF6-, BMim+OTf-, or BtMA+NTf2- [BMim+ = n-butylmethylimidazolium, BtMA+ = n-butyltrimethylammonium, NTf2 = N(O2SCF3)2, and OTf = O3SCF3] in the presence of n-butylimidazole (Bim) as the scavenger for the HX acid byproduct and with a narrow size distribution in the diameter range of 2.8-26.1 nm, which increases linearly with the molecular volume of the ionic liquid anion (transmission electron microscopy characterization).
Related Concept Videos
Micelles
The Colloidal State
Precipitate Formation and Particle Size Control
The obtained precipitate should be either a pure substance of known composition or easily converted to one by a simple process, such as ignition or drying. In addition, the precipitate should be insoluble and easily filterable. In general, filterability...
Colloidal precipitates
Formation of Complex Ions

