Examination of Ostwald ripening in the photocatalytic growth of silver nanoparticles on titanium dioxide coatings

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were grown on the surface of titanium dioxide coating (TiO2) using a photochemical method. The size and number of AgNPs were monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after 20, 30, 180 and 300 s of UV illumination. It was found that for short illumination times (20 s) a significant number of small nanoparticles were grown. However, after an additional 10 s of illumination, small nanoparticles were subject to decomposition and the released Ag+ ions were utilized for the growth of the existing larger nanoparticles, causing an increase in their dimensions. The observed results indicate that the nucleation and further growth of AgNPs proceed according to Ostwald ripening. For longer illumination times (180, 300 s) a coalescence of closely located particles was observed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.