Partially positively charged silver nanoparticles prepared by p-benzoquinone

Partially positively charged silver nanoparticles were successfully prepared by interaction between p-benzoquinone and the surface of the nanoparticles. This result was primarily due to electron affinity of the carbonyl group in p-benzoquinone, as confirmed by FT-IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In this study, p-benzoquinone acted as both a stabilizer and a reducing agent for silver nanoparticles. UV-vis spectra showed the formation of silver nanoparticles. TEM micrographs confirmed that most of silver nanoparticles exist in sizes less than 7 nm, and the average size of particle aggregates is approximately 20 nm. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.