Specific features of polyol synthesis of silver nanoparticles with the use of solid carboxylates as precursors

Abstract

Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and chromatography-mass spectrometry have been employed to investigate the reduction of solid silver caprylate in ethylene glycol with the formation of silver nanoparticles. The structural characteristics of silver nanoparticles have been studied as depending on the conditions of their synthesis, including temperature, reduction time, and silver salt concentration. It has been found that, in the studied range of parameters under the conditions, when solid silver caprylate is dispersed in ethylene glycol, the characteristics of resulting nanoparticles are almost independent of the synthesis temperature. This peculiarity is related to the fact that the formation and growth of nanoparticles occur on the surface of silver salt crystals and are accompanied by gradual dissolution thereof. In this system, ethylene glycol plays the roles of a reductant and a solvent for liquid reaction products.