Photoinduced Reduction of Silver inside Microscale Polyelectrolyte Capsules

Abstract

Every cloud has a silver lining. The use of poly(styrene sulfonate)/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PSS/PAH) polyelectrolyte capsules as microreactors is described for the photochemical synthesis of nanosized silver particles, exclusively, inside a restricted volume of capsule (see graphic). The formed Ag nanoparticles are not aggregated and have an average diameter of 8 nm. The resulting Ag-filled polyelectrolyte capsules can find applications as catalytic microreactors and medical agents.