Synthesis and Growth of Silver Nanoparticles in Natural Rubber Matrix

Abstract: The synthesis of silver (Ag) nanoparticles in natural rubber (NR) matrix were described. The NR matrix in which the Ag clusters were synthesized were both in the form of a solid film as well as a colloidal solution. The Ag ions were reduced to Ag metal by means of a UV light irradiation. UV- Vis spectroscopy was used to monitor the reduction. The reduction profile is dependent on the irradiation time and the initial concentration of the Ag ions. The morphology of the Ag clusters in both the matrix systems was studied using transmission electron microscope (TEM). Investigations of the micrographs showed that discrete spherical shaped nanoparticles with size range between 4.8 to 7.9 nm were obtained in the natural rubber films. However, in the colloidal solution, the spherical nanoparticles coexisted with self-assembled nanoparticles or fractals. In the latter, fractal analysis gave the fractal dimension, D value of 1.61 and suggests the diffusion- limited aggregation (DLA) growth mechanism. The metallic silver formation was confirmed using the x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The Ag particles were crystalline with a face centered cubic (fee) lattice.