Photochemical stability of poly(acrylic acid)/silver nanocomposite

• The size of silver nanoparticles stabilized by mercaptosuccinic acid decreases slightly upon UV-radiation.
• Nanocomposites of poly(acrylic acid) with nanosilver are more photostable than pure poly(acrylic acid).
• The stability of Ag/mercaptosuccinic acid nanoparticles in neutral environment is better than in alkaline solution.

Ag nanoparticles, stabilized by mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA), have been obtained by chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The nanocomposites of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with Ag have been prepared by casting of aqueous polymer solutions and water evaporation. The influence of polychromatic UV-irradiation on PAA/Ag/MSA nanocomposite properties was determined by UV–vis and FTIR spectroscopy. The mean size of the formed Ag nanoparticles has been estimated by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The studied Ag nanoparticles coated by MSA were stable during one year storage and theirs stability was better in neutral solution than in alkaline one. It was found that PAA/Ag/MSA system is more resistant to UV radiation than virgin PAA, which is caused by efficient photocrosslinking.