BAKU STATE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL of
PHYSICS & SPACE SCIENCES
ISSN: 3006-6123 (ONLINE);
Comprehensive analysis of asymmetric AgNPs/PVA/Ag2S nanocomposites: influence of silver nitrate concentration on structural and optical properties via vapor-phase sulfidation
Received: 25-Aug-2025 Accepted: 15-Oct-2025 Published: 15-Dec-2025 Read PDFDownload PDF
Fatma I. Ismayilova; Mustafa B. Muradov; Goncha M. Eyvazova
In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized via a chemical reduction method and subsequently mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer. The resulting mixture was air-dried under ambient conditions. AgNPs/PVA nanocomposites with mo-lar concentrations of 0.33 mmol/g, 0.63 mmol/g, and 0.90 mmol/g were successfully fabricated through a solution casting method. The upper surface of the prepared sam-ples was then exposed to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas, leading to the formation of asym-metric structures. The formation and characteristics of these structures were found to depend on the concentration of AgNPs within the nanocomposite and the depth of H₂S penetration into the layers. The structural and optical properties of the resulting asym-metric structures were thoroughly analyzed. Structural changes were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), while optical properties were characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. A simple sulfidation process involving H₂S gas was applied for the first time to AgNPs/PVA nanocomposites. The analysis of the surface properties revealed significant changes in physical characteristics after sulfidation. Ultimately, the successful formation of AgNPs/PVA/Ag₂S anisotropic structures was achieved, demon-strating the effectiveness of this method for tuning the structural and optical properties of nanocomposite materials.