Synthesis of silver nanoparticles - Effects of concerned parameters in water/oil microemulsion

Noble metallic nanomaterials are of particular interest today because of their applications in many areas. The selected topic is one of the most active regions in the metallic nanomaterials. First, common synthetic methods of silver nanomaterials, e.g., chemical reduction, photochemical method, ultrasonic-assisted reduction, electrochemical method, template, irradiating reduction and biochemical method, are introduced. The advantages and drawbacks of these methods are also reviewed. Secondly, we mainly discuss the formation of silver nanoparticles in microemulsion. Besides an introduction to the concept, type and formation of microemulsion, we focus especially on the influencing factors of silver nanoparticle formation. Effects of the type of continuous phase, molar ratio of water to surfactant (W), precursor concentration and reductant type and concentration on the particle formation are summarized and evaluated. Furthermore, current and possible developing trends of the synthetic technology of silver nanoparticles are also prospected. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.