[1].

Representative TEM micrographs of the size and dispersion of silver nanoparticles in the resin matrix: (A) lower and (B) high magnification. Silver 2-ethylhexanoate salt was dissolved in 2-(tert-butylamino) ethyl methacrylate and incorporated into a BisGMA-TEGDMA resin at a silver salt mass fraction of 0.08% in the resin. The silver nanoparticles were formed in the resin by simultaneous reduction of the silver salt and photopolymerization of the dimethacrylates. The particle size was measured (mean ± sd; n = 100) to be (2.7 ± 0.6) nm. Arrows indicate the silver nanoparticles, which were well dispersed in the resin with minimal appearance of nanoparticle aggregates.