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Title: Layered micro-and nanostructures of pristine silver grown on semiconductor wafers through a galvanic displacement reaction.

Journal Article · · Small

Silver nanoplates with thicknesses of 50-70 nm and edge lengths ranging from 200 nm to 1 {mu}m have been grown on semiconductor wafers at room temperature through a simple galvanic reaction between an aqueous solution of AgNO{sub 3} and n-type GaAs. The as-grown Ag structures have chemically clean surfaces due to no surfactant or coordinating molecules being involved in the synthesis. Electron microscopy characterizations indicate that each Ag plate has rough surfaces and a half-moon morphology with one straight edge and one arclike edge. Systematic studies on varying reaction conditions reveal that the oxide (i.e., Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and As{sub 2}O{sub 3}) layers of GaAs, generated in situ in the reactions, play an important role in assisting the growth of anisotropic nanoplates. The cleanliness of the surfaces of the Ag nanoplates is beneficial to attachment of interesting molecules on their surfaces for various applications, such as plasmonic-enhanced photophysical and photochemical processes and surface-enhanced spectroscopies.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
953812
Report Number(s):
ANL/CNM/JA-59383; TRN: US201004%%571
Journal Information:
Small, Vol. 3, Issue 2007; ISSN 1613-6810
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH