title: Poly(amino acid)-facilitated electrochemical growth of metal nanoparticles.
abstract: Poly(amino acids) are natural chelating agents for various metal ions. Zinc ions were encapsulated in situ in a conductive polypyrrole film using polyglutamic acid as a localized complexing agent within the film. The subsequent electrochemical reduction of the metal ions to zero-valent metal leads to the formation of the nanoparticles. The electrochemical approach demonstrated in this report provides facile regeneration of the particles and also prevents aggregation of nanoparticles in the conductive polymeric film. The correlation of the amount of zinc with the thickness of the film indicates that the zinc resides largely in the outer layer of the film. TEM and EDS data show that the nanoparticles formed are composed of zinc and are 18 +/- 7 nm in diameter. The nanoparticle/ polymer composite was used to reduce halogenated organics, indicating its potential usefulness in remediation applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
authors.forename: Karthik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Venkatachalam
authors.forename: Vasilis G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Gavalas
authors.forename: Shifen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ame C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Leon
authors.forename: Dibakar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhattacharyya
authors.forename: Leonidas G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Bachas
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002713:Chlorine / Q000737:chemistry; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007477:Ions; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008956:Models, Chemical; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000737:chemistry; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002614:Chelating Agents; D007477:Ions; D008670:Metals; D011108:Polymers; D011758:Pyrroles; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid; C067635:polypyrrole; D002713:Chlorine; D015032:Zinc