title: Immobilization of silver nanoparticles on polyethylene terephthalate.
abstract: Two different procedures of grafting with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), activated by plasma treatment, are studied. In the first procedure, the PET foil was grafted with biphenyl-4,4'-dithiol and subsequently with silver nanoparticles. In the second one, the PET foil was grafted with silver nanoparticles previously coated with the same dithiol. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrokinetic analysis were used for characterization of the polymer surface at different modification steps. Silver nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The first procedure was found to be more effective. It was proved that the dithiol was chemically bonded to the surface of the plasma-activated PET and that it mediates subsequent grafting of the silver nanoparticles. AgNP previously coated by dithiol bonded to the PET surface much less.
authors.affiliation: Department of Solid State Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, Prague 6 166 28, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reznickova
authors.affiliation: Department of Solid State Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, Prague 6 166 28, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Novotna
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, J.E. Purkyne University, Usti nad Labem 400 96, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kolska
authors.affiliation: Department of Solid State Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, Prague 6 166 28, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vaclav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Svorcik
keywords: Atomic force microscopy (AFM); Plasma activation; Polymer; Silver nanoparticle grafting; Surface properties; Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)