Abstract

In this work, we report the preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and the nanodecoration of α-cyclodextrin inclusion compounds (α-CD IC) microcrystals that contain palmitic (PAc) and stearic acids (SAc) like guest molecules. These IC provide a suitable environment for nucleation, epitaxial growth and immobilization of AgNPs that were obtained by the magnetron sputtering technique. The use of α-CD IC substrates with a specific surface morphology in which the functional group of the guest molecule faces outward preferentially from a crystal plane, is an efficient method for the preparation of AgNPs with a low size dispersion, which is probably due to the high affinity between the functional group of the surfactant carboxylic acid guest with the metal nanoparticles.