Influence of copper species on silver grain size in Ag–CuO–SiO2 ternary nanocomposites

The influence of Cu species on Ag grain size in Ag–CuO–SiO2 ternary nanocomposites prepared by adsorbed-layer nanoreactor technique (ALRT)was investigated. Ag and CuO nanoparticles were synthesized on the silica surface one after the other, then the grain size of Ag was determined by X-ray diffraction. Ag grains became smaller with increase in amount of Cu, whether Cu species was fed before or after Ag species, implying that the grain growth of Ag was inhibited by the appearance of Cu(OH)2 in both feeding sequences. Furthermore, after taken away the effect of alkaline concentration on Ag grain size, the inhibition effects of two feeding sequences become more similar.