Preparation of silver nanoparticles in a high voltage AC arc in water

The article presents for the first time the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in an electric arc of high-voltage alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz. In particular, the method and apparatus necessary for the preparation of nanoparticles in water solution is discussed. Current-voltage characteristics depending on the mutual distance between the electrodes are presented which show a very high stability of the generated discharge phenomena. The obtained nanoparticles were examined using various analytical techniques such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The morphology, surface and size of the obtained nanoparticles was carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning TEM (STEM) equipped with the annual dark-field imaging scanning atomic-scale chemical mapping (STEM). The designed simple power supply unit consisting of an autotransformer and a microwave oven transformer (MOT) makes the preparation of silver nanoparticles both simple and economical.

Automated summary

This article introduces the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in a high-voltage 50 Hz alternating current electric arc for the first time, and examines the obtained nanoparticles using various analytical techniques. The study also discusses a simple and cost-effective method for the preparation of silver nanoparticles using a designed power supply unit.