Synthesis of Silver Nanocrystallites by a New Thermal Decomposition Method and Their Characterization

We formed silver nanocrystallites by the thermal decomposition of a Ag+1-oleate complex, which was prepared by a reaction with AgNO3 and sodium oleate in a water solution. The resulting monodispersed silver nanocrystallites were produced by controlling the temperature (290 °C). Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images of the particles showed a 2-dimensional assembly of the particles with a diameter of 9.5 ± 0.7 nm, demonstrating the uniformity of these nanocrystallites. An energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum and X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks of the nanocrystallites showed the highly crystalline nature of the silver structure. We analyzed the decomposition of the Ag+1-oleate complex using a Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and observed the crystallization process using XRD.