Inter-matrix synthesis of polymer stabilised metal nanoparticles for sensor applications

Abstract

Nanometer-sized metal particles or Metal NanoParticles (MNP) are objects of great interest in modern chemical research due to their unique electrical, magnetic, optical and other properties, which are distinct from both those of the bulk metal and those of isolated atoms and molecules. MNP can be so unstable that if their surfaces touch, they will fuse together, losing their special shape and properties. The development of Polymer-Stabilized MNP (PSMNP) is one of the most promising solutions to the MNP stability problem. This paper reviews the main properties of PSMNP and the areas of their potential application mainly focusing on the use of polymer-metal nanocomposites in electrochemical sensors and biosensors. The novel approaches to synthesize PSMNP are also described and discussed. One of them is based upon the use of Solid-Phase-Incorporated-Reagents (SPHINER) and the other one uses the functionalized polymeric membrane (FP) as a nanoreactor. Both SPHINER and FP systems are able to chemically fix metal ions or complexes inside the parent polymeric matrix prior to their reduction and formation of PSMNP. The results obtained by studying the synthesis of Pt and Pd-PSMNP inside polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polysulphone (PS) matrix and Cu-PSMNP inside sulphonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) confirm the applicability of these approaches to produce PSMNP of given composition and architecture. The preliminary results of cyclic voltammetric and amperometric analysis of electrodes prepared under different conditions confirm the usability of PSMNP systems in sensors and biosensors.