Nanoscale graft copolymer templates decorated by silver bromide nanoparticles arrays

A novel amphiphilic poly(4-vinyl pyridine)-graft-poly(lauryl methacrylate) (P4VP-g-PLMA) graft copolymer at 29:71 wt% was synthesized via free radical polymerization, as confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). This self-assembled copolymer was used to template the in-situ growth of silver bromide (AgBr) nanoparticles, producing a solid-state nanocomposite film. Interestingly enough, AgBr nanoparticles with a bimodal size distribution were selectively grown within the copolymer matrix. Large nanoparticles with diameters of 30-40 nm were formed in the center of the hydrophilic P4VP spherical domains whereas smaller particles with diameters of 8-10 nm were decorated in hydrophobic PLMA domains. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the nanoscale decoration of amphiphilic copolymer by AgBr nanoparticles with a size-selective, bimodal size distribution.