Synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles by electron irradiation at 5–15 keVenergy

Abstract

Thin coatings (∼10 µm) made from a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) andHAuCl4 or PVAand AgNO3 on quartz plates were irradiated with 5–15 keV electrons, at room temperature. The electron energywas varied from coating to coating in the range of 5–15 keV, but electron fluence was kept constant at∼1015 e cm−2.Samples were characterized by the UV–vis, XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. The plasmon absorptionpeaks at ∼511 and ∼442 nm confirmed the formation of gold and silver nanoparticles in the respectiveelectron-irradiated coatings. The XRD, SEM and TEM measurements reveal that theaverage size of the particles could be tailored in the range of 130–50 nm for gold and from150–40 nm for silver by varying the electron energy in the range of 5–15 keV. These particlesof gold and silver embedded in the polymer could also be separated by dissolving thecoatings in distilled water.