(469d) Experimental Studies Using Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy on Synthesized Nanoparticles

Engr. Dr. M. N. Idris* and A. Abdullahi

Energy & Process Refining Technology Group

Department of Chemical Engineering

University of Maiduguri

Borno State, Nigeria

Tel: +234 (0) 705 877 1096

Email: idrismn@unimaid.edu.ng, muhinu@hotmail.co.uk

ABSTRACT

In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized by two main chemical reduction methods. Silver nitrate was adopted as the main precursor, and reduced by sodium borohydride and trisodium citrate to produce particles of different size regimes. UV-Visible spectrophotometer was used to monitor the formation of the nanoparticles. The synthesis of nanoparticles via sodium borohydride was carried out at both ambient temperature and ice-bath temperature to compare the effect of temperature on the quality of final synthesis. The stability of the silver nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous medium was investigated with respect to time.

A yellow hue was given off by the silver nanoparticles sols that, a typical surface Plasmon resonance absorption provide maxima of silver nanoparticles at 370-450 nm spectra. The sizes of the nanoparticles were found to be dependent on the reduction routes. The sodium borohydride and trisodium reduction routes resulted in silver nanoparticles with a diameter of around 12 nm and 35 nm, respectively. However, sodium borohydride sols were found to be more concentrated and had lower polydispersity. In the borohydride synthesis, lower synthesis was found to be helpful in formation, purity and stability of the nanoparticles colloids. Also, an increase in the volume ratios of aqueous precursor solutions was found to result in nanoparticles colloids that were more concentrated, less distributed and had higher colloidal stability.

Keywords: Colloidal, Characterization UV-visible, Synthesis & Polydispersity      

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