Convenient synthesis and characterization of silver/poly(p-Cl-phenylsilane) nanocomposites

The one-pot preparation and structural characterization of silver/poly(p-Cl-phenylsilane) nanocomposites have been performed. The one-step transformation of silver(I) salt to stable silver(0) nanoparticles is mediated by poly(p-Cl-phenylsilane), Cl-PPS having both reactive Si-H bonds in the polymer backbone and C-Cl bonds in the substituents. XRD, TEM, and FE-SEM, and solid-state UV-vis analytical techniques were used to analyze the interesting metal/inorganic polymer hybrid nanocomposites. TEM and FE-SEM data show the formation of hybrid composites in which large number of silver nanoparticles (less than 30 nm of size) are dispersed throughout the Cl-PPS matrix. XRD patterns are consistent with that for fcc-typed silver. The elemental analysis for Cl atom and the polymer solubility confirm that the appreciable cleavage of C-Cl bond and the Si-Cl dative bonding were not occurred. The size and processability of such nanoparticles depend on the ratio of metal to Cl-PPS. In the absence of Cl-PPS, most of the silver particles undergo macroscopic aggregation, which indicates that the polysilane is absolutely necessary for stabilizing the silver nanoparticles.