Interfacial interaction of Cu–Ag nanoparticles with different surfactants

In this article, the effect of the surfactant on the interaction effect and structure stability of Cu–Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and experiment. The results showed that Ag NPs were coated around the surface of Cu NPs in Cu–Ag/surfactant system. However, the introduction of different surfactants resulted in a different interaction styles. With the surfactant from the consist of single structure (PVP or CTAB) to the consist of multiple structure (PVP&CTAB), the interaction energy between the surfactants and NPs increased rapidly. Meanwhile, the surfactant mixture promoted the interaction among NPs; also, it reduced the interaction between the NPs and external circumstance; the interface effect could be further controlled by adjusting the surfactant or their mixture.