Silver-polydiacetylene core–shell nanohybrids: From nano to mesoscale architectures

•We prepared polyPCDA coated-Ag nanoparticles with tuned morphology and properties.•An optimum packing of PCDA on AgNPs is achieved under controlled conditions.•The dense, bilayered shell of PCDA photopolymerizes completely in the blue phase.•In aqueous suspension the hybrids have a typical, nanosized core–shell architecture.•In dried samples mesoscale clusters of Ag cores in polyPCDA matrix are observed.

Spectroscopic and microscopic measurements show that 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid is able to densely adsorb on the surface of silver nanoparticles by properly selecting the synthesis procedure. Its subsequent polymerization by UV irradiation under controlled photochemical conditions produces the blue form of poly(pentacosa-10,12-diynoic acid). The resulting nanohybrids are very stable in aqueous suspension and exhibit a bilayered, core–shell architecture. We propose a model of the polyPCDA self-assembled on silver nanoparticles and we evaluate the surface coverage density.

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