Coating silver nanoparticles on poly(methyl methacrylate) chips and spheres via ultrasound irradiation

Ultrasound irradiation is used for anchoring silver nanoparticles with an average size of ～ 51 nm onto the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA chips (2 mm diameter), and silver nanoparticles with an average size of ～ 20 nm onto the surface of the PMMA spheres (1–10 μm). The sonochemical reduction was carried out under argon atmosphere at room temperature. The silver nanoparticles were obtained by the irradiation of a mixture containing the PMMA, silver nitrate, ethylene glycol, ethanol, water, and 24% (wt) aqueous ammonia for 2 h, yielding a PMMA‐nanosilver composite. By controlling the atmosphere and reaction conditions, we could achieve the deposition of silver nanoparticles onto the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate). The silver‐deposited PMMA chips (loaded with 0.01–1.0 weight percent silver) were successfully homogenized in melt by extrusion and then injection molded into small, disc‐shaped samples. These samples were analyzed with respect to their directional spectral optical properties in UV, VIS, and IR spectroscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007