Synthesis of highly crystalline silver dendrites microscale nanostructures by electrodeposition

Highly crystalline dendritic silver nanostructures have been synthesized by electrodeposition with the assistance of triblock copolymer P123. In the silver dentrites, the diameter of the trunk is around 100 nm with its length up to 40 μm, and the length of its branches can reach 10 μm. Selected area electron diffraction patterns show that the main trunk and side branches both grow along <211> directions and the leaves grow along <11-1> directions of the cubic Fm3m structure. The effects of the growth conditions such as the concentrations of reagents, the current density, and the electrode distance on the morphology of silver dendrites have also been investigated. It is found that the concentrations of AgNO3 and P123 play significant roles in the growth of the silver dendrites.