Synthesis of silver nanoparticles in the presence of diethylaminoethyl-dextran hydrochloride polymer and their SERS activity

摘要

The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized upon gamma-irradiation of AgNO3 precursor suspensions in the presence of diethylaminoethyl-dextran hydrochloride (DEAE-dextran) cationic polymer as a stabilizer. The dose rate of gamma-irradiation was similar to 32 kGy h(-1), and absorbed doses were 30 and 60 kGy. The gamma-irradiation of the precursor suspension at acidic or neutral pH conditions produced predominantly the silver(I) chloride (AgCl) particles, because of the poor solubility of AgCl already present in the precursor suspension. The origin of AgCl in the precursor suspension was due to the presence of chloride ions in DEAE-dextran hydrochloride polymer. The addition of ammonia to the precursor suspension dissolved the AgCl precipitate, and the gamma-irradiation of such colourless suspension at alkali pH produced a stable aqueous suspension with rather uniform spherical AgNPs of approximately 30 nm in size. The size of AgNPs was controlled by varying the AgNO3/DEAE-dextran concentration in the suspensions. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activities of synthesized AgNPs were examined using organic molecules rhodamine 6G, pyridine and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA). The NaBH4 was used as SERS aggregation agent. The SERS results have shown that in the presence of synthesized AgNPs, it was possible to detect low concentration of tested compounds.