Optical and electrical characteristics of polymer films modified with nanostructured silver aggregates

To study the formation of a new dispersed phase in polymer layers, the abso rption of radiation-generated silver aggregates in cellophane films was exa mined. Stable silver nanoparticles were prepared by the radiation-chemical reduction of silver ions in a solution of inverted micelles of the composit ion AgNO3 (AgClO4)/H2O/AOT/octane. On irradiation of cellophane films immer sed in a micellar solution, the formed silver aggregates Ag-n(m+) became in corporated into the films. The modified films exhibited a stable yellow col or. The intensity of an optical absorption band of the films with lambda (m ax) similar to 420-440 nm increased proportionally to the radiation dose ab sorbed by an aqueous micellar solution. The light sensitivity of these film s was examined. A 35-min exposure of the films at lambda = 365 nm resulted in an increase in the intensity of the main absorption band by 17% and in a bathochromic shift of the maximum. The electrical characteristics of modif ied films were determined depending on the radiation dose. It was found tha t the incorporation of nanostructured silver clusters exhibiting the charac teristic optical absorption band with lambda (max) similar to 420-440 nm in creased the conductivity of cellophane films by two to three orders of magn itude.