ABSTRACT
Nanoparticles (NPs) have been used for a long time, probably the earliest use being in glazes for early dynasty Chinese porcelain. A Roman cup used nanosized gold clusters to create different colors depending on whether it was illuminated from the front or the back. Microemulsions are often good solvents for both inorganic salts and nonpolar organic molecules, and therefore are excellent media for reactions between compounds with widely differing solubility characteristics. In anhydrous media, surfactants form small polydisperse aggregates. The particle size of the product is mainly controlled by the size of the aqueous pool. The surfactant is chosen depending on the nature of the oil or water phase. When compared with the ordinary precipitation method, the microemulsion technique offers advantages over particle morphology. The main attractive features of the two-step microemulsion reduction technique for preparing mixed metal NPs are the ease and accuracy of composition control.
