Intermatrix Synthesis and Characterization of Polymer-Stabilized Functional Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are excellent candidates for understanding and controlling the magnetic properties of NPs through the variation of chemistry at the atomic level. In this chapter the authors describe the preparation of Fe3O4 NPs and coat them with silver within various porous polymer matrices, of both anionic and cationic functionality. One of the synthetic advantages of the intermatrix synthesis (IMS) method allows the preparation of various NP architectures. The chapter discusses the synthesis of superparamagnetic core NPs, which are represented by iron oxide NPs. When preparing core-shell NPs, it is important to know the nature of the oxidative states of the metals containing polymer-metal nanocomposites (NCs) in order to determine whether the desired composite has been synthesized. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), is used to characterize the polymer-NP NC material.