ABSTRACT:Silver nanoparticles protected by first to third generation poly(amido amine) dendrons with an anthracenyl-focal point were fabricated by photo-promotion of silver ions in aqueous dendron solutions. The reaction solutions colored from light to deep brown and displayed a broad plasmon band at 450 nm, indicating the formation of silver nanoparticles. The formation of particles progressed with time, although it slowed down at the light-shielding (dark) condition. The light-promoted electron transfer from amine groups of dendron to silver ions through anthracenyl moiety might concern to the formation of silver nanoparticles. According to the images of transmission electron microscopy, the shape of nanoparticles was not only spherical (15-20 nm in size) but also polygonal (20-35 nm in size). It was confirmed from the crystallographic analysis of electron diffraction patterns that the polygon was a hexagonalclose-packing (hcp) single crystal, whereas the crystal structure of spherical nanoparticles was face-centered-cubic (fcc). The reaction was fastest when the second generation dendron was used, indicating the competition of increasing number of amine groups and reducing efficiency of photo-promoted electron transfer with generation. [DOI 10.1295/polymj.38.44] KEY WORDS Poly(amido amine) Dendron / Anthracene / Anthracenyl-focal Poly(amido amine) Dendron / Silver Nanoparticle / Nanoparticle / Photo-induction / Photo-fabrication / Transmission Electron Microscopy / Electron Diffraction / Hexagonal-close-packing / Face-centered-cubic / Dendrimers are synthesized stepwise through branching points and spacers, resulting in the spherical shape. From their structural characteristics like a lot of terminal groups and internal voids, the unique applications of dendrimers are prospective. Especially, poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers with simple hydrophilic terminal groups are water-soluble and nontoxic, indicating bio-compatible. Utilizing the PAMAM dendrimers as a protector, metal and metalderivative nanoparticles with small size and narrow size distribution were synthesized. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Then the protection by PAMAM dendrimers may develop the advanced application of nanoparticles as medical materials like therapeutic reagents besides industrial materials.Water-dispersible gold and silver nanoparticles with small sizes (less than 10 nm) were synthesized by the reduction of metal ions in the presence of PAMAM dendrimers.3-9 While in almost of investigations, metal nanoparticles were reduced with the aid of reducer, gold and silver nanoparticles were prepared by reducing the metal salt in PAMAM dendrimer solutions under UV, X-ray, or laser irradiation or heating. 3,4,[6][7][8] Particle sizes and their dispersion in water depended on the generation of dendrimers and the mixing ratio of metal ion and dendrimer.In the present work, the fabrication of silver nanoparticles without coexistence of common reducer has been reported. The silver nanoparticles were prepared with a photochemical me...