Preparation of dendritic silver nanoparticles by direct chemical reduction

Preparation of dendritic silver particles by direct chemical reduction of silver ions under the protection of PVP was studied in this work. Effects of molar ratio of PVP to silver ions and the reaction time on the morphology and structure of silver particles were also described. When PVP/AgNO 3=1 and the reaction time was about 1h, the well-defined dendritic silver particles were achieved. The mechanism of dendritic silver nanoparticle has been proposed. Firstly, the complex of PVP-silver ions is constructed. Secondly, the complex promotes silver nucleations. Thirdly, aggregation and limited dispersion leads to formation of dendritic silver nanoparticle.