Application in drinking water purification

Zerovalent form of heavy metals can be adsorbed by noble metal nanoparticles with high adsorption capacity. We come to sequestration of Hg with silver nano particles. It is clear that many properties of metal do not hole true as the size of the crystal reaches the nanometer scale.The redox potential of the microelectrode becomes more positive as the particles grow. Agn Agn + +e For n=1( which means free silver atom), the potential is -1.8 V, as n tends to infinite, the potential is 0.8 V. We have 2 reasons for interest in silver nano particles for this application: the enhanced ability of silver to participate in a reaction as a reducing agent for mercury and its ability to coexist with mercury in different phases. Surface plasmon of silver nano particles experience a shift in adsorption spectrum along with a decrease in the intensity, immediately after the addition of mercury ions, which is related to the oxidation of silver nano particles to silver ions. The shift is linked to the incorporation of mercury into silver nanoparticles. As found, the concentration of mercury at the edges of particle is slightly higher than at the center mercury atoms absorbed on the surface rapidly diffused into the core. Note the pace at which the plasmon band disappears. 2Ag + Hg 2+ -----> Hg + 2Ag+ E =0.05V

The reduction potential of silver nano particles is highly likely to be much less than 0.8 V, which causes a strong force for the galvanic reaction to happen. The change in reduction potential of silver nanoparticles can also be understood in Ag- Hcl system. In bulk form, Ag is not attacked by HCl. In contrast, silver nanoparticles show high reactivity with HCl. Ag(s) + H+ +Cl- ---> AgCl(s) +H2 E =-0.22V

In bulk form, there is no driving force but in nano scale, the above reaction becomes feasible, which confirms the increasing reducing nature of silver nano particle surface. We can also derive from there the method to create alloy nanoparticles similar application for gold.