Effect of synthesis route on the morphologies of silver nanostructures by galvanic displacement reaction

The present study is concerned with the preparation of Ag nanostructures by reduction of AgNO3 with zinc foil by galvanic displacement reaction. The results confirm that the synthesis route has a direct influence on the morphologies of Ag nanostructures. In addition, the effect of synthesis conditions, including the concentration of AgNO3 aqueous solutions and reaction time, are investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), filed emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-vis spectra are used to characterize the obtained products. A reasonable formation process of Ag nanostructures is proposed based on the characterization results.