Hydrothermal synthesis of silver nanoparticles in Arabic gum aqueous solutions

Finely divided silver nanoparticles were synthesized via the hydrothermal method. Arabic gum (AG) was used as both the reductant and steric stabilizer without any other surfactant. By adjusting the reaction temperature, mass ratio of AG to AgNO3, and reaction time, silver nanoparticles with different morphological characteristics could be obtained. The products were characterized by UV-Vis, FTIR, TEM, SEM, and XRD measurements. It was found that temperature and AG played an important role in the synthesis of mono-disperse silver nanoparticles. Well dispersed and quasispherical silver nanoparticles were obtained under the optimal synthesis conditions of 10 mmol/L AgNO3, m(AG)/m(AgNO3)=1:1, 160 °C and 3 h.