Structure and stability of silver nanoparticles in aqueous solution produced by laser ablation

Silver nanoparticles were produced by laser ablation of a metal silver plate in aqueous solutions of surfactants, CnH2n+1SO4Na (n = 8, 10, 12, 16). The nanoparticles thus produced were characterized by electron microscopy and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The abundances of the nanoparticles before and after centrifugation were measured as a function of the surfactant concentration. The concentration dependence of the abundance implies that the surfactant coverage and the charge state on the nanoparticle surface are closely related to the stability of the nanoparticles in the solutions. The nanoparticles tend to be aggregated when the coverage is less than unity, while they are very stable when the surface is covered with a double layer of the surfactant molecules.