Synthesis, Morphology, Structure, and Spectral Characteristics of Silver Nanoparticles Stabilized by Amphiphilic Molecular Brushes of Varying Topology

Abstract—Amphiphilic molecular brushes or graft copolymers (graft-CPs) with hydrophobic polyimide main chains and hydrophilic side chains of polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) can potentially be used as nanocontainers for the targeted delivery of drugs/agents at high degrees of polymerization m of side chains and the density of their grafting. In this work, silver nanoparticles in the zero-valence form (Ag⁰) with a complex of unique biomedical properties are used as a loading agent. Atomic force microscopy, UV/visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy are used to perform a comparative study of new silver-containing dispersions based on graft-CPs with variable degrees of polymerization of PMAA side chains. The effect the graft-CP topology has on the structural, morphological, dimensional, and spectral characteristics of silver-containing dispersions is shown.