In this publication, a copper acetate-mediated rhodanine polymerization reaction is examined. It is demonstrated that at room temperature, Cu(II) acetate complexes with rhodanine generate solid nanospheres, which, upon heating in a microwave, results in polyrhodanine core–shell nano- and microsphere particles. The structural analysis of the polyrhodanine nanosphere produced by this efficient microwave-initiated method was conducted by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, it is verified that this template-free, efficient, and versatile synthesis of polyrhodanine nanospheres can also be accomplished by introducing a strong oxidant KMnO 4 as a cocatalyst with copper acetate without compromising the morphology of the resulting core–shell nanospheres. It is also demonstrated that the polyrhodanine nanospheres can be used to adsorb methyl orange dye, a known contaminant in industrial wastewater.

This research presents a new approach to the dispersion and stabilization of gold nanoparticles from aqueous to organic solution through the use of alkylsilanes. The unique phase activity of poly(hydro)silanes inspired the investigation of monomeric hydrosilanes as transfer agents. This method utilizes n-butylsilane, hexylsilane, octylsilane, and octadecylsilane as transfer agents to complete a ligand exchange, allowing the nanoparticles to flow into organic solution. These reactions were monitored and characterized through UV-Vis Spectrometry (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The gold and silver nanoparticles transferred using this protocol maintained their size and shape throughout the reaction. This phase-transfer reaction successfully transferred 2-AST stabilized gold and silver nanoparticles to a variety of organic solvents which remained stable for prolonged periods.