Simple Electrochemical Synthesis of Polyethylenimine-Encapsulated Ag Nanoparticles from Solid AgCl Applied in Catalytic Reduction of H2O2

Abstract

We report a simple and environmentally friendly synthesis of polyethylenimine (PEI)-encapsulated Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) by a direct electroreduction of solid AgCl. The AgNPs, characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), revealed that AgNPs diameters (100–500 nm) depended on the loading of the AgCl precursor. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV), it was confirmed that the AgNPs had a catalytic effect on the electrochemical reduction of H2O2. The obtained AgNPs were subsequently used to construct an electrochemical H2O2 sensor exhibiting a low detection limit (1.66 μM) and a wide linear response range, with real-life tests indicating an insensitivity to common interferents and confirming the potential use of the developed technique in diverse applications.