ABSTRACT
In the historical development of techniques for the preparation of
metal nanoparticles, polymeric stabilizers have undoubtedly played
a major role. Through the skilled use of commercial linear polymers
as stabilizers, reliable synthetic routes for the facile preparation of
significant amounts of stable, monodispersed metal nanoparticles
in solution have been developed and have also been extensively
reviewed [1]. More recently, investigations in this field have been
extended to the use of more complex polymer architectures as
stabilizing agents for metal nanoparticles, with the aim to ensure
better control on the morphological properties of the nanoparticles
(in particular their size), to tailor their solubility properties,
and finally to prepare advanced composite nanomaterials that
linear branched microgel macrogel
Figure 4.1 Different morphologies of polymer stabilizers for metal nanoparticles.
