The Applicability of Global and Surface Sensitive Techniques to Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles for Ink-Jet Printing Technology

The detailed characterisation of nanoparticles is a crucial point in their further application. Without knowledge about their sizes, composition and lengths of ligands nanoparticles could not be used effectively. For example without information about diameters engineers are not able to design jet which with high efficiency would spread nanoparticles on substrate during printing. Without knowledge about composition and length of the ligands it would be difficult to predict what temperature to use during sintering. To learn more about nanoparticles which we are using (commercially available ligand stabilised silver nanoparticles) we have decided to perform series of experiments in order to better understand their properties. We have concentrated here on analysis of AgNPs morphology using HRTEM, AFM, DLS and UV-Vis. Chemical composition was checked using XPS and EDX, and finally electronic structure was investigated using UPS and STS. The size distribution measured using all four techniques resulted in very similar distribution with average diameter equal 5 nm. This result is especially surprising in case of AFM which should be sensitive also to ligands, therefore expected diameter was equal ~ 8 nm. In our opinion, this discrepancy is the result of distortion of ligands especially at the core substrate interface. Such distortion of ligands could change from one to another substrate which could result in completely different size distributions. From the other point of view the main advantage of that technique is possibility of imaging of individual nanparticles deposited on different substrates. What is more, the imaging process does not necessary have to be carried out in laboratory but by the use of new portable AFMs could be done in any place particularly in the factory immediately after printing. In contrary HRTEM could be used only in laboratory and investigated material have to be deposited on special substrates. However, no distortion of nanoparticles is expected in case of this technique. Thus, it seams to be most precise one which could be used in diameter estimation. What is This chapter provides a new concept and strategic approach to optimising use of AgNPs in practical applications without compromising their excellent functionalities. Direct, in situ synthesis of AgNPs, called on-paper synthesis, is successfully achieved by using a paper matrix composed of ceramic fibers as a main framework and ZnO whiskers as a selective support for AgNPs via a simple soaking treatment with AgNO3 solution. As-prepared AgNPs@ZnO paper with the appearance of flexible cardboard is convenient for a wide range of practical uses, and demonstrates excellent antibacterial performance against both Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive B. subtilis, with much greater efficacy than paper composites containing either ionic Ag or commercial crystalline Ag microparticles. Thus, this method provides highly-functional AgNPs in a form that can be easily handled, and will open up a new avenue for promoting the effective use of AgNPs in practical applications. On-paper synthesis has broad applications and can be extended to a diverse array of metal NPs. CuNPs are successfully synthesized from an aqueous solution of Cu(NO3)2, and CuNPs@ZnO paper offers exceptional catalytic performance in the methanol reforming process for hydrogen production. AuNPs@ZnO paper, which is prepared from HAuCl4 complex as a precursor, can mediate the complete conversion of CO to CO2 at room temperature. Thus the novel on-paper synthesis approach allows us to design a variety of nanomaterials containing metal NPs that maintain their original excellent functionality, and metal NPs@paper composites with convenience in handling are expected to be promising materials in a wide range of future applications. Such a new concept for practical immobilization of metal NPs will break new ground in metal NPs engineering fields In this chapter, some representative researchs based on the application of AgNPs to chemical and biological sensors using absorption, emission and scattering phenomena, have been commented. The inusual optical properties mainly related to their high extinction coefficient and tunable particle shapes, have turned to AgNPs in a very attractive and special usefull analytical tool: their have been applied to trace determination of different nature analytes with sucessfully results. Due to its high efficiency and low cost, the light scattering techniques based on AgNPs shows particular promise in the development of noninvasive in vivo sensing techniques for the study of biological systems, particular to immunoassays and to monitoring the interaction between proteins and enzymes in living cells. Light-scattering signals could have widespread applications in detection and quality control of new developed nanodrugs. AgNPs have a promising future in designing of optical sensors. Their utilization will be driven by the need for smaller detection devices with lower limits of detection. Continual advances in nanofabrication technology and optical characterization techniques are expected to overcome the difficulties encountered in the development of TERS. One major challenge is improve the collection and detection efficiency of the traditional SERS instrumentation. Another challenge is the fabrication of an optical probe that incorporates a SERS substrate. The modification of fiber-optic probes with metal films or nanoparticles provides a promising solution, but great care must be taken to ensure long-term stability of the metal substrate and to permit reuse of the probe Preface......Page 5 Wangyu Hu, Shifang Xiao, Huiqiu Deng, Wenhua Luo and Lei Deng......Page 9 Raul Rangel-Rojo, J.A. Reyes-Esqueda, C. Torres-Torres, A. Oliver, L. Rodríguez-Fernandez, A. Crespo-Sosa, J.C. Cheang-Wong, J. McCarthy, H.T. Bookey and A.K. Kar......Page 43 M. Puchalski, P.J. Kowalczyk, Z. Klusek and W. Olejniczak......Page 71 Lavinia Balan, Jean-Pierre Malval and Daniel-Joseph Lougnot......Page 87 Andrey L. Stepanov......Page 101 A. Pyatenko......Page 129 P. Terrence Murray and Eunsung Shin......Page 153 Chang-Sik Ha, Jin-Woo Park and Md. Habib Ullah......Page 161 Jiang-Jen Lin, Rui-Xuan Dong and Wei-Cheng Tsai......Page 169 N.V. Nikonorov, Sidorov A.I. and Tsekhomskii V.A.......Page 185 Carlos Caro1, Paula M. Castillo1, Rebecca Klippstein2, David Pozo2 and Ana P. Zaderenko1......Page 209 Chien Wang, Marta Luconi, Adriana Masi and Liliana Fernández......Page 233 Zygmunt Sadowski......Page 265 Hirotaka Koga and Takuya Kitaoka......Page 285 Juneyoung Lee, Keuk-Jun Kim, Woo Sang Sung, Jong Guk Kim and Dong Gun Lee......Page 303 Rebecca Klippstein, Rafael Fernandez-Montesinos, Paula M. Castillo, Ana P. Zaderenko and David Pozo......Page 317 Manuel Fondevila......Page 333