Reducing Properties of Polymers in the Synthesis of Noble Metal Nanoparticles

The use of different polymers as both reducing agent and stabilizers has gained wide attention for its simplicity and impressive efficiency when being applied to synthesis noble metal nanoparticles. This article concludes reports published recently on specific polymers used to reduce metal precursors and protect metal nanoparticles. The control of the size and morphology of nanoparticles tuned by changing the polymer structure and experiment conditions has been concluded and the possible redox mechanisms of different polymer-metal systems have been illustrated.