Synthesis and stability of colloidal silver nanoparticles prepared by arc discharge in DI water

Metal nanoparticles have recently attracted extensive research interest because of their specific optical, electronic, and catalytic properties [1–3]. A large number of reports are available on the synthesis of metal nanoparticles in solution by different methods such as photochemical, electrochemical, chemical reduction, microwave-assisted synthesis, ion irradiation and plasma processing. Compared with other techniques, electrical arc discharge in liquid is attractive because the apparatus is simple to build, no need for vacuum equipments, and the source materials are cheap. The simplicity of this method also allows scaling up for mass production. In this work, we intend to make stable colloidal silver nanoparticles by different surfactants and stabilizers