Fabrication of stable silver nanoparticles through a green approach

Abstract

We had suggested a novel method for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles by suitable choice of materials and solvents. It was a green, straight forward method in an aqueous medium. Additionally, nontoxic reagents were used in the experiment and the process was environmentally friendly. This green approach needs three reagents (dextran, tollens' reagent, glucose) which come from renewable resources. The effects of the concentration of tollens' reagent on silver nanoparticles formation and storage stability were studied. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The results indicated that the reaction parameters significantly affected the size, formation rate and distribution of the silver nanoparticles. This method is simple and economical therefore may be practical for large-scale synthesis.