Synthesis and Characterization of Silver and Gold Nano-Structures on Chitosan-Porous Anodic Alumina Nano-Composite

This study was designed to probe the fabrication of unique silver and gold nano-structures engaging a self-designed chitosan-porous anodic alumina nano-composite as template. Porous anodic alumina have been manufactured by di-step aluminum anodization in oxalic acid electrolytic bath. The surface properties of porous anodic alumina were reinforced by chitosan neutralized in sodium hydroxide. Multifarious nano-morphologies of silver as well as gold nano-structures were observed. Furthermore, the long chitosan biopolymer chains were degraded by γ-irradiations and the same procedure was employed for modification of porous anodic alumina with γ-degraded chitosan. The morphologies of fabricated silver and gold nano-structures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, while their composition was evaluated with the help of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction study exposed face centered cubic phase for both silver and gold nano-structures. Reflection mode UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to ascertain reflection grooves in the absorption range of silver and gold nano-structures respectively. The technique does not involve any harmful reagent and show different selectivity than methods in general practice. The achieved results apprised that the fabricated nano-structures offer the advantages of biocompatibility and eco-friendliness for numerous biomedical uses.