Poly(2-hydroxyalkyl methacrylates) as stabilizers for colloidal noble metal nanoparticles

Two poly(2-hydroxyalkyl methacrylates) were investigated as stabilizing mat rices for dispersions of colloidal palladium, gold, and silver nanoparticle s. The metal colloids were generated by various in-situ reductions from the ir respective precursors. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to investigate the metal nanoparticle sizes and shapes, and UV-Vis spectroscop y was used to characterize the optical properties of these composites. Very stable dispersions were obtained, especially for gold and silver colloids reduced by potassium borohydride (KBH4). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.