ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the approaches to synthesis of dispersions of monometallic nanoparticles, mainly by chemical reduction of metal precursors in homogeneous aqueous medium, and principal methods and mechanisms of stabilization. It presents some promising practical applications of metallic nanoparticles and their dispersions. The wet chemical bottom–up methods based on approaches and tools of colloid chemistry, especially chemical reduction of a metal precursor e.g., metal salt by reducing agents in organic and aqueous media, have been successfully applied for preparation of practically all noble and transition metal nanoparticles. When fabricating metallic nanoparticles, tuning their characteristics particle size and its distribution, morphology, stability, functional properties is very important, especially for their successful utilization in various applications, as the metallic nanoparticles are promising building blocks in unique functional materials. Growth of nanoparticles by aggregation should lead to a faster increase in the particles size as compared with diffusion and autocatalytic mechanisms.
