Silver nanoparticles in hyperbranched polybenzobisthiazole: synthesis and characterization

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized in hyperbranched polybenzobisthiazoles (HBPBZTs) matrices using a reductive technique. The synthesized Ag nanoparticles were characterized through different spectroscopic and analytical techniques, such as FTIR, XRD, TGA, TEM, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectra. The results showed that the synthesized Ag-HBPBZT nanocomposites exhibited excellent thermostability and the Ag nanoparticles represented face-centered cubic crystal structures. It was interesting that these nanoparticles were soluble in DMSO. The Ag nanoparticles prepared using amino and sulfydryl-terminated HBPBZT (hbp3) as template and stabilizer had smaller sizes, more regular shapes, and narrower size distributions than those prepared using hbpl and hbp2 as templates and stabilizers. The Ag-HBPBZT nanocomposites had UV-vis absorptions at approximately 341 nm to 361 nm which were attributable to the surface plasmon resonance of the Ag nanoparticles. These nanocomposites emitted a strong blue light in DMSO solution. The prepared Ag-HBPBZT nanocomposites are potentially useful in the area of blue light emission.