Preparation, characterization, and surface modification of silver nanoparticles in formamide.

The reduction of silver ions in formamide is shown to take place spontaneously at room temperature without addition of any reductant. The growth of Ag particles was found to be dependent on Ag+ ion concentration. In the absence of any stabilizer, deposition of silver film on the glass walls of the container takes place. However, in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) or colloidal silica (SiO2), which are capable of stabilizing silver nanoparticles by complexing and providing support, a clear dispersion was obtained. The formation of the silver nanoparticles under different conditions was investigated through UV-visible absorption spectrophotometry, gas chromatography, and also electron and atomic force microscopic techniques. Atomic force microscopy results for silver films prepared in the absence of any stabilizer showed the formation of polygonal particles with sizes around 100 nm. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that the prepared silver particles in the presence of PVP were around 20 nm. The Ag nanoparticles get oxidized in the presence of chloroform and toluene. Surface modification of silver film was done in the presence of the tetrasodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid (Na4EDTA). It was shown that the reactivity of the silver film increased in its presence. The Fermi potential of silver particles in the presence of Na4EDTA seems to lie between -0.33 and -0.446 V vs NHE.