Synthesis of Silver-Strontium Titanate Hybrid Nanoparticles by Sol-Gel-Hydrothermal Method

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2015-03, Vol.5 (2), p.386-397
• Main Authors: Ueno, Shintaro, Nakashima, Kouichi, Sakamoto, Yasunao, Wada, Satoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agglomeration; Aqueous solutions; Diffusion rate; Electron microscopes; Gels; hybrid particles; Ions; Morphology; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanostructure; Precursors; Ratios; Silver; silver nanoparticles; Sol-gel processes; sol-gel-hydrothermal method; Strontium; strontium titanate; Strontium titanates; Titanium
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano5020386

Silver (Ag) nanoparticle-loaded strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) nanoparticles were attempted to be synthesized by a sol-gel-hydrothermal method. We prepared the titanium oxide precursor gels incorporated with Ag⁺ and Sr ions with various molar ratios, and they were successfully converted into the Ag-SrTiO₃ hybrid nanoparticles by the hydrothermal treatment at 230 °C in strontium hydroxide aqueous solutions. The morphology of the SrTiO₃ nanoparticles is dendritic in the presence and absence of Ag⁺ ions. The precursor gels, which act as the high reactive precursor, give rise to high nucleation and growth rates under the hydrothermal conditions, and the resultant diffusion-limited aggregation phenomena facilitate the dendritic growth of SrTiO₃. From the field-emission transmission electron microscope observation of these Ag-SrTiO₃ hybrid nanoparticles, the Ag nanoparticles with a size of a few tens of nanometers are distributed without severe agglomeration, owing to the competitive formation reactions of Ag and SrTiO₃.