Silver and palladium nanoparticles produced using a plant extract as reducing agent, stabilized with an ionic liquid: sizing by X-ray powder diffraction and dynamic light scattering

Powder X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering (DLS) sizing of silver (Ag) and palladium (Pd) nanoparticles produced within aqueous plant extract and the effect of introducing of an ionic liquid are reported in this paper. The simple and novel synthesis of silver and palladium nanoparticles using the reducing power of Persea americana(Pa) bark extract is reported and the effect of adding 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tosylate [EMIm][Tos] is described. Detailed powder X-ray interpretation allowed determination of the crystalline grain sizes of 16±4nm for Ag–Pa, 13±2nm for Ag–Pa[EMIm][Tos], 16±3nm for Pd–Pa and 9±1nm for Pd–Pa[EMIm][Tos] according to the Scherrer peak analysis. A size contraction occurs when moving from plant extract alone to plant extract/ionic liquid. These grain sizes are 9nm for Ag–Pa and for 9nm Ag–Pa[EMIm][Tos], 15nm for Pd–Pa and 7nm for Pd–Pa[EMIm][Tos] when the Williamson–Hall plot intercept is used. Modal hydrodynamic sizes were determined by DLS as 57nm for Ag–Pa, 72nm for Ag–Pa[EMIm][Tos], 390nm for Pd–Pa and 98nm for Pd–Pa[EMIm][Tos] providing indications on how the particles behave in solution. Intrinsic stresses of 0.177GPa for Ag–Pa, 0.219GPa for Ag–Pa[EMIm][Tos], 0.382GPa for Pd–Pa and 0.190GPa for Pd–Pa[EMIm][Tos] and dislocation densities of (6±3)×10−3nm−2for Ag–Pa, (9±3)×10−3nm−2for Ag–Pa[EMIm][Tos], (5±2)×10−3nm−2for Pd–Pa and (16±4)×10−3nm−2for Pd–Pa[EMIm][Tos] have been obtained.