Hybrid composite of gold nanoparticles with polyacrylamide hydrogel: one-step synthesis, preparation of plasmon films, characterization

Abstract

Hybrid composites of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with polymer hydrogels are promising platforms for the development of new materials that can respond to external stimuli (chemical, physical, mechanical), reversibly absorb/release water and reagents, act as plasmonic sensors, and also be triggers of photochemical processes and photothermal actuators of micromechanical processes. In our study we have (1) proposed a one-step method for the synthesis of a hybrid composite of Au NPs with polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAm) by the reduction of HAuCl 4 with acrylamide (AAm) and simultaneous radical polymerization of AAm in an aqueous solution, (2) optimized the conditions for obtaining a phase-stable product, (3) studied the effect of the initial concentrations of Au and AAm on the morphology and structure of Au NPs, (4) obtained and characterized plasmonic films from the Au NPs-PAAm composite and after thermal removal of the polymer matrix. The methods of UV-visible and photon correlation spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, synchronous thermal analysis, transmission and scanning electron microscopy were used in the work. Graphical abstract