Promising method for preparation the PVA/Ag nanocomposite and Ag nano-rods

Abstract Both the PVA/Ag nanocomposite films and the Ag nano-rods were successfully prepared by using the γ irradiation method. The PVA/Ag nanocomposite films prepared at different γ irradiation doses (25, 50, 75 and 100 KGy). The Ag nano-rods prepared at a specific conditions at (125 KGy). For the PVA/Ag nanocomposites, the UV-Vis spectrophotometer and PL spectrophotometer were used to characterize the films. The optical absorption spectra for all samples over the wavelength range 190–800 nm were recorded. There are two absorption peaks were observed. One peak at 200 nm which attributed to (n-π*) transition for PVA and another peak at 427 nm for the formed Ag nanoparticles. Photoluminescence showed a peak at 646 nm and its intensity increase with increasing the γ doses. For preparing the Ag nano-rods, the SEM images of the films revealed the presence of two types of silver particles one is AgNO3 and the other Ag nanoparticles on the front surface of the (0 KGy) nanocomposite films. With increasing the gamma doses until 125 KGy the Ag nanoparticles appears on the back surface as a nano-rods. The SEM images showed that the obtained Ag nano-rod of different length: diameter (1.813 μm: 89.125 nm) and (2.912 μm: 88.851 nm) with aspect ratio (length: diameter = 16:1 to 32:1). The effect of the PVA concentration on the formation of Ag nanoparticles was confirmed by using SEM images, and we obtained that the length of Ag nano-rods on the back surface increase with increasing the PVA concentration at γ irradiation dose 125 KGy.