Strong Antimicrobial Activity of Highly Stable Nanocomposite Containing AgNPs Based on Water-Soluble Triazole-Sulfonate Copolymer

A new hydrophilic polymeric nanocomposite containing AgNPs was synthesized by chemical reduction of metal ions in an aqueous medium in the presence of the copolymer. A new water-soluble copolymer of 1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole and vinylsulfonic acid sodium salt (poly(VT-co-Na-VSA)) was obtained by free-radical copolymerization and was used as a stabilizing precursor agent. The structural, dimensional, and morphological properties of the nanocomposite were studied by UV–Vis, FTIR, X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Hydrodynamic diameter of macroclubs for the copolymer was 171 nm, and for the nanocomposite it was 694 nm. Zeta potential for the copolymer was −63.8 mV, and for the nanocomposite it was −70.4 mV. The nanocomposite had strong antimicrobial activity towards Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms: MIC and MBC values were in the range of 0.25–4.0 and 0.5–8.0 μg/mL, respectively.

Green synthesis of novel in-situ micro/submicron-Cu paste for semiconductor interconnection

A green method for the synthesis of in-situ Cu paste is developed. Cu particles are prepared through chemical reduction by selecting a special copper source, reducing agent, and solvent. Then the reaction solution is directly concentrated to obtain an in-situ Cu paste. The synthesis of Cu particles and the preparation of Cu paste are conducted simultaneously, and the process of separation, purification, drying, storage, and re-dispersion of powder are reduced. Particles are not directly exposed to air, thus the oxidation of micro/nano-Cu is effectively prevented, and the agglomeration of particles caused by drying and dispersion operations is simultaneously reduced. Furthermore, the proposed method has a certain universality, and different types of Cu sources can be used to prepare in-situ paste with different sizes and morphologies. The entire preparation process is simple, efficient, green, and the yield can reach 99.99%, which breaks through the bottleneck of the application of traditional micro/nano-Cu materials. Copper acetate based in-situ paste is sintered for 30 min at 260 °C and 2 MPa in a reducing atmosphere. The shear strength, resistivity, and thermal conductivity reach 55.26 MPa, 4.01 × 10-8 Ω·m, and 92.75 W/(m·K), respectively, which could meet the interconnection application of power semiconductor devices.

Facile Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Preparation of Conductive Ink

In the scientific industry, sustainable nanotechnology has attracted great attention and has been successful in facilitating solutions to challenges presented in various fields. For the present work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared using a chemical reduction synthesis method. Then, a low-temperature sintering process was deployed to obtain an Ag-conductive ink preparation which could be applied to a flexible substrate. The size and shape of the AgNPs were characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experiments indicated that the size and agglomeration of the AgNPs could be well controlled by varying the reaction time, reaction temperature, and pH value. The rate of nanoparticle generation was the highest when the reaction temperature was 100 °C within the 40 min reaction time, achieving the most satisfactorily dispersed nanoparticles and nanoballs with an average size of 60.25 nm at a pH value of 8. Moreover, the electrical resistivity of the obtained Ag-conductive ink is controllable, under the optimal sintering temperature and time (85 °C for 5 min), leading to an optimal electrical resistivity of 9.9 × 10−6 Ω cm. The results obtained in this study, considering AgNPs and Ag-conductive ink, may also be extended to other metals in future research.

Silver Nanoparticulate Matter Reinforced Conducting Polymer Polyaniline Nanocomposite: Sol-Gel Processing, Schottky-Diode Making and Electronic Worthiness Testing

Polyaniline nanoparticles is synthesized by chemical oxidation of aniline by copper sulphate. Chemical reduction of silver nitrate by sodium citrate yileds silver nanoparticles. Both aforesaid nanomaterials are mixded with polyvinyl alcohol to get nanocomposite gel. Nanoparticles are characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. Schottky diode is made by applying nanocomposite with copper wire on one side of aluminium foil and on other side attaching copper wire for another electrical contact. Current-voltage electrical characterization is analyzed by making simple circuit encompassing polyaniline/silver nanocomposite diode. Keywords: Nanoelecttronics, Nanoparticles, Polyaniline, Nanocomposite, Schottky-diode

Peculiarities of synthesis and bactericidal properties of nanosilver in colloidal solutions, SiO2 films and in the textile structure: a review

The aim of this work is a comparative analysis of the biocidal efficiency of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) in the colloidal state, in the structure of films and dispersions of SiO2 and in the composition of textile fabrics, dependent on the method of synthesis, based on literature data and on own researches. Chemical reduction of silver (with borohydrides, hydrogen, hydrazine, etc.) allows one to adjust and control the size and shape of NPs. The shape of the NPs is mostly spherical, what is confirmed by the presence of a band of surface plasmon resonance in absorption spectra and by electron microscopy measurements. To prevent aggregation of NPs obtained by the method of chemical reduction in solution, the optimal ratio of two stabilizers based on surfactants and polymer at their minimum concentration was found, namely NaBH4 as a reductant and polyvinylpyrrolidone + sodium dodecyl sulfate as binary stabilizer of Ag NPs, with bactericidal activity of 99 % and stability for more than 3 years. Chemical reduction of silver ions was carried out also by the amino acid tryptophan (Trp) which has a dual function – a biocompatible reducing agent and stabilizer of silver NPs while maintaining their shape, size and stability for long-term use. Effective methods of photochemical synthesis of Ag NPs have been developed in different ways: by UV irradiation of Ag+ ions in solution in the presence of solid-state photosensitizer SiO2 with adsorbed benzophenone (SiO2/BPh); by UV irradiation of Ag+ ions in solution in the presence of the amino acid tryptophan (Trp); on silica surface when Ag/SiO2 sol-gel films production via irradiation of adsorbed Ag+ ions on SiO2 film (Ag+/SiO2) in the BPh solution. It is shown that when Ag NPs are adsorbed on the surface of highly dispersed SiO2, the logarithm of the reduction of microorganisms reduces and the time of their deactivation increases. A cheap and convenient way to modify of cotton textiles with Ag NPs by soft heat treatment of Ag+/cotton samples with high (90–95 %) efficiency of destruction of bacteria E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. aerogenes, P. vulgaris, S. aureus, C. albicans, etc., with saving of biocidal activity after 5 cycles of washing has been developed. The dynamics of silver ions release from the surface of NPs in the structure of textile upon their contact with water for 72 hours and the number of irreversibly bound particles have been studied. The electrical resistance of the tissue is proportional to the quantity of NPs. That is NPs in the structure are in different degrees of binding, a certain part of them is retained (adsorbed) irreversibly, saving bactericidal properties after repeated contacts with water. On the basis of literature analysis it is shown that ecologically safe “green synthesis” is a promising way to silver NPs produce with pronounced bactericidal efficiency, which is becoming more common due to the large resource of cheap plant raw materials.

A Sensitive Capacitive Biosensor for Protein a Detection Using Human IgG Immobilized on an Electrode Using Layer-by-Layer Applied Gold Nanoparticles

A capacitive biosensor for the detection of protein A was developed. Gold electrodes were fabricated by thermal evaporation and patterned by photoresist photolithography. A layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of thiourea (TU) and HAuCl4 and chemical reduction was utilized to prepare a probe with a different number of layers of TU and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The LbL-modified electrodes were used for the immobilization of human IgG. The binding interaction between human IgG and protein A was detected as a decrease in capacitance signal, and that change was used to investigate the correlation between the height of the LbL probe and the sensitivity of the capacitive measurement. The results showed that the initial increase in length of the LbL probe can enhance the amount of immobilized human IgG, leading to a more sensitive assay. However, with thicker LbL layers, a reduction of the sensitivity of the measurement was registered. The performance of the developed system under optimum set-up showed a linearity in response from 1 × 10−16 to 1 × 10−13 M, with the limit detection of 9.1 × 10−17 M, which could be interesting for the detection of trace amounts of protein A from affinity isolation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

DETERMINATION OF OPTIMAL PARAMETERS FOR SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES STABILIZED WITH POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL

В рамках данной работы представлены результаты исследования влияния концентраций стабилизатора и прекурсора на процесс синтеза наночастиц серебра. В качестве прекурсора использован нитрат серебра, а в качестве стабилизатора -полиэтиленгликоль с молекулярной массой от 200 до 600 Да. Синтез осуществляли методом химического восстановления в водной среде. Полученные образцы исследовали фотонно-корреляционной спектроскопией и спектрофотометрией. Установлено наличие характеристической полосы поглощения на 400 нм в спектрах поглощения всех образцов наноразмерного серебра, стабилизированного полиэтиленгликолем, что обусловлено возникновением поверхностного плазмонного резонанса у металлических наночастиц серебра. Также установлено, что при наибольшей и наименьшей концентрации стабилизатора, равных, соответственно, 0. 005 и 0,1 мас. %, в реакционной системе наблюдается формирование крупных частиц серебра со средним гидродинамическим радиусом от 132 до 1900 нм. В результате определены оптимальные параметры синтеза агрегативно устойчивых наночастиц серебра: концентрация нитрата серебра С (AgNO) = 0,05 M и концентрация полиэтиленгликоля, равная 0,01 - 0,05 %. Проведено компьютерное квантовохимическое моделирование. Установлено, что энергетически выгодным является взаимодействие атома серебра с концевой гидроксогруппой в молекуле полиэтиленгликоля в элементарном акте взаимодействия при стабилизации наночастиц серебра данным полимером. Данный тип взаимодействия характеризуется абсолютной химической жесткостью, равной ƞ = 0,146 эВ, и внутренней энергией E = -2048,34 ккал / моль. Within the framework of this work, the results are presented of a study of the effect of the concentrations of the stabilizer and precursor on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Silver nitrate was used as a precursor, and polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight from 200 to 600 Da was used as a stabilizer. The synthesis was carried out by the method of chemical reduction in an aqueous medium. The obtained samples were investigated by photon correlation spectroscopy and spectrophotometry. The presence of a characteristic absorption band at 400 nm in the absorption spectra of all samples of nanosized silver stabilized with polyethylene glycol was established, which is due to the appearance of surface plasmon resonance in metallic silver nanoparticles. It was also found that at the highest and lowest concentration of the stabilizer, equal, respectively, 0,005 and 0,1 mass. %, the formation of large silver particles with an average hydrodynamic radius from 132 to 1900 nm is observed in the reaction system. As a result, the optimal parameters for the synthesis of aggregatively stable silver nanoparticles were determined: the concentration of silver nitrate C(AgNO) = 0,05 M and the concentration of polyethylene glycol equal to 0,01 - 0,05 %. Computer quantum-chemical modeling is carried out. It is found that the interaction of the silver atom with the terminal hydroxogroup in the polyethylene glycol molecule in the elementary act of interaction during the stabilization of silver nanoparticles by this polymer is energetically advantageous. This type of interaction is characterized by an absolute chemical hardness equal to ƞ = 0,146, and an internal energy of E = -2048,34 kcal / mol.

LUMINESCENCE OF YAG:Ce DOPED WITH SILVER NANOPARTICLES

В работе впервые было исследовано влияние наночастиц серебра на люминесценцию иттрий-алюминиевого граната, легированного церием. С помощью метода химического восстановления был синтезирован золь с размером наночастиц серебра ≈100 нм. Керамический порошок люминофора иттрий-алюминиевого граната, легированного церием, был получен методом двухстадийного осаждения в уротропин. Золь наночастиц серебра в концентрациях от 0,125 до 0,1 мл вводили в порошок-прекурсор перед прокаливанием. Было показано, что при данном способе введения наночастиц серебра интенсивность фотолюминесценции возрастала по сравнению с эталоном. Оптимальной концентрацией в рамках исследования являлась концентрация 0,25 мл. При данной концентрации увеличение интенсивности фотолюминесценции на длине волны 540 нм составило порядка 10%. Проведенные исследования показали, что наночастицы серебра могут с успехом применяться для увеличения яркости люминофора иттрий-алюминиевого граната, легированного церием, без искажения и ухудшения спектральных характеристик. This work was the first to study the effect of silver nanoparticles on the luminescence of cerium doped yttrium-aluminum garnet. A sol with the size of silver nanoparticles of ≈100 nm was synthesized using the method of chemical reduction. Phosphor ceramic powder of the yttrium-aluminum garnet doped with cerium was obtained by the two-stage precipitation method. The silver nanoparticles sol was introduced into the precursor powder before calcination in concentrations from 0,125 to 0,1 ml. It was shown that the photoluminescence intensity increased in comparison with the reference when we used this method of introducing silver nanoparticles. The optimal concentration within the study was 0,25 ml. At this concentration, the increase in the photoluminescence intensity at a wavelength of 540 nm was about 10 %. Studies have shown that silver nanoparticles can be successfully used to increase the brightness of the phosphor of the yttrium-aluminum garnet doped with cerium without distortion and deterioration of spectral characteristics.