SERS studies on the interaction between UO22+ and PVP-stabilized silver nanoparticles

Interaction between uranyl (UO22+) ions and silver nanoparticles (Ag-nps) stabilized by suitable polymeric capping agents has been studied in aqueous phase using surface enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy technique (SERS). Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) stabilized Ag-nps were synthesized by dissolving in water appropriate amount of PVP and AgNO3 along with a suitable reducing agent in the form of either formamide or sodium borohydride. The solution was vigorously stirred for 5h and finally nanoparticle sols were obtained. A series of analyte samples was prepared by adding an appropriate amount of silver sol to different volumes of uranyl stock solution prepared at pH=3. The solutions were then drop cast on glass slides and dried in air. Preliminary results on drop-cast samples are presented here