Dendritic Nanostructures of Silver:  Facile Synthesis, Structural Characterizations, and Sensing Applications

• Published in: Langmuir Vol. 22; no. 10; pp. 4836 - 4842
• Main Authors: Wen, Xiaogang, Xie, Yu-Tao, Mak, Wing Cheung, Cheung, Kwan Yee, Li, Xiao-Yuan, Renneberg, Reinhard, Yang, Shihe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 09.05.2006
• Subjects: Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Physical and chemical studies. Granulometry. Electrokinetic phenomena; Nitrogen heterocycle; Growth; Suspension; Transition metal; Nanostructure; Glucose; Surfactant; Zinc; Characterization; Surface enhanced scattering; Silver; Pyridine; Synthesis; Raman scattering; Six membered ring; Biosensor; Electrochemistry; Microparticle; Diameter; Nanocrystal
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/la060267x

Silver nanodendrites are synthesized by a simple surfactant-free method using a suspension of zinc microparticles as a heterogeneous reducing agent. Structural characterizations suggest the preferential growth along 〈100〉 and 〈111〉 directions by oriented attachment of silver nanocrystals in the diffusion limit, leading to the formation of silver nanodendrites 20−30 nm in stem and branch diameter and 5−50 μm in length. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies show that the silver nanodentrites give an intensive and enhanced Raman scattering when pyridine was used as a probing molecule. We have also demonstrated that the silver nanodendrites increase the sensitivity of an electrochemical glucose biosensor by as much as 1−2 orders of magnitude.