Silver nanoparticle-loaded filter paper: Innovative assembly method by nonthermal plasma and facile application for the reduction of methylene blue

摘要： In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were loaded onto commercial filter paper using a simple “suspending-discharging-washing” process. Nanosecond pulse dielectric barrier discharge (NP-DBD) plasma was used to perform the in-situ reduction-loading process in a plate-to-plate DBD reactor during the five-minute fabrication process. Gaseous ethanol was used as the reducing agent under an argon gas plasma treatment. There was no thermal treatment, which prefers the formation of small nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the synthesized AgNPs were well-dispersed over the surface of the filter paper. The synthesized nanoparticles were hemispherical and crystalline. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the cellulose skeletons had been mostly maintained after the plasma discharge. The catalytic activity of the AgNPs paper was evaluated by the reduction reaction of methylene blue (MB) with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) using a straightforward filtration process.