Long term impact of surfactants & polymers on the colloidal stability, aggregation and dissolution of silver nanoparticles

Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), Tween 20, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are among the commonly used surfactants and polymers to stabilize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). However, their interactions with AgNPs are different. The impact of these surfactants and polymers on the colloidal stability of freshly synthesized uncoated AgNPs was evaluated through a series of long-term experiments and analyzed in terms of their physical and chemical behavior. The cationic surfactant, CTAB was able to produce a mono modal particle size distribution in a prolonged period without affecting the dissolution. In the presence of Tween 20, a non-ionic surfactant, dissolution was promoted in the long run and the particles were preserved with minimal aggregation. In the presence of the polymers, PVP and PEG, the particle structure was not affected even though dissolution was observed. This study presents important insights on the interactions of AgNPs with surfactants and polymers, which could significantly affect the transformations and fate of AgNPs in the aquatic environment.