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oai:figshare.com:article/34027563 2026-09-29T20:10:16Z category_1 category_4 category_146 category_7 category_14 category_24 category_39 category_734 category_61 category_64 category_132 category_135 portal_63 item_type_2 month_year_09_2026

Spontaneous Silver Reduction and Nanostructure Formation at Water–Hydrophobic Interfaces Samantha Ross Roque (25138824) Jean-Christophe Valmalette (1737025) Biophysics Biochemistry Space Science Medicine Molecular Biology Evolutionary Biology Ecology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Developmental Biology Cancer Infectious Diseases Computational Biology transmission electron microscopy progressive structural evolution intermediates toward crystalline findings provide insight nanoparticle growth products directing nanoparticle assembly conventional directing agents added reducing agents whi also promotes unique physicochemical environment resolved observations reveal aqueous phase indicates monodisperse silver nanostructures intermediate silver species nanoparticle formation resulting interfacial water confinement spontaneous silver reduction nanoparticle formation interfacial water spontaneous formation capping agents whi behaves unique properties observations indicate amorphous phase interfacial film silver salts silver clusters continuous silver nanostructure formation taken together synthetic systems persistent thin ordered assemblies optical spectroscopy nanoscale self layer reactor hydrophobic media fcc </ distributed throughout classical pathway active component 3 nm Water–hydrophobic interfaces (WHIs) are ubiquitous in natural and synthetic systems, yet their role as chemically active environments remains poorly understood. Here, we report the spontaneous formation of monodisperse silver nanostructures at WHIs in the absence of added reducing agents, surfactants, or light. Across a variety of silver salts and hydrophobic media, a free-standing interfacial film reproducibly develops and can be transferred onto diverse substrates. Electron microscopy reveals extended domains composed of monodisperse silver nanoparticles arranged in ordered assemblies over micrometer length scales despite the absence of conventional directing agents. Transmission electron microscopy further uncovers a continuous silver-rich amorphous phase containing ultrasmall nanoparticles (∼2 to 3 nm) distributed throughout the interfacial film. Time-resolved observations reveal a progressive structural evolution from this amorphous phase through defect-rich and non-<i>fcc</i> intermediates toward crystalline <i>fcc</i> silver, suggesting a non-classical pathway for nanoparticle formation. Optical spectroscopy of the aqueous phase indicates the presence of silver clusters and nanoparticle growth products, while gas analysis reveals concomitant oxygen generation during the process. Taken together, these observations indicate that the WHI behaves as a persistent thin-layer reactor (TLR) capable of driving spontaneous silver reduction and directing nanoparticle assembly under interfacial water confinement. We propose that the unique physicochemical environment of the WHI also promotes the accumulation and stabilization of intermediate silver species, enabling the emergence of ordered nanostructures without external reducing or capping agents. These findings provide insight into nanoparticle formation resulting from the unique properties of WHIs and establish the role of interfacial water as an active component in nanoscale self-organization. 2026-09-29T00:00:00Z Dataset Media 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c04578.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/media/Spontaneous_Silver_Reduction_and_Nanostructure_Formation_at_Water_Hydrophobic_Interfaces/34027563 CC BY-NC 4.0