Synthesis of Highly Monodisperse Silver Nanoparticles from AOT Reverse Micelles:  A Way to 2D and 3D Self-Organization

Abstract

A simple method is used to prepare highly monodispersed silver nanoparticles in the liquid phase, which starts from an initial synthesis in functionalized AOT reverse micelles. To narrow the particle size distribution from 43% to 12.5% in dispersion, the particles are extracted from the micellar solution. The size-selected precipitation method is used. The decrease in polydispersity of the silver nanoparticles is followed by transmission electron microscopy, by UV−vis spectroscopy, and by small-angle X-ray scattering. The nanocrystallites dispersed in hexane are deposited on a support. A monolayer made of nanoparticles with spontaneous hexagonal organization is observed. The immersion of the support on the solution yields to the formation of organized multilayers arranged as microcrystal in a face-centered cubic structure.