One-step constrained-volume synthesis of silver decorated polymer colloids with antimicrobial and sensing properties

In this paper, we report a simple and low-energy strategy for the preparation of silver decorated polymer colloids. The reported constrained-volume synthesis integrates polymer nanoprecipitation and metal deposition in a one-step continuous-flow fashion. The deposition of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) associated with different optical properties is easily controlled by varying processing parameters. The as-synthesized colloidal NPs have good antimicrobial properties. In addition, the sensitivity of the colloids towards hydrogen peroxide exhibits a linear response over a wide concentration range with a detection limit of 0.03 μM.