Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges
Nanoporous silver (np-S) was prepared by free corrosion dealloying of a series of Ag–Al thin films containing between 25 and 73 at.% Al. It was found that precursor composition had an important influence on the nanostructures and morphologies of the np-S. In particular the size of the Ag ligaments s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-05-01
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| Series: | Results in Surfaces and Interfaces |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666845924000370 |
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| author | Sanaa A. Alzahrani Kaludewa S.B. De Silva Annette Dowd Matthew D. Arnold Michael B. Cortie |
| author_facet | Sanaa A. Alzahrani Kaludewa S.B. De Silva Annette Dowd Matthew D. Arnold Michael B. Cortie |
| author_sort | Sanaa A. Alzahrani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nanoporous silver (np-S) was prepared by free corrosion dealloying of a series of Ag–Al thin films containing between 25 and 73 at.% Al. It was found that precursor composition had an important influence on the nanostructures and morphologies of the np-S. In particular the size of the Ag ligaments systematically decreased from 32 to 13 nm as the Al content was increased over the series. In contrast, there was only a weak effect on pore size, which remained in the range 11–15 nm, with the maximum occurring at about 55 at.% Al. There was however a significant increase in the density of the pores as the Al content of the precursor was increased. The electrical resistivity of the np-S increases with the decrease in ligament size, changing from about 3 × 10−8 Ω m for sponges with ligaments of about 32 nm diameter rising to 30 × 10−8 Ω m for the sponge with the 13 nm ligaments. The surface area of the np-S was estimated by the electrochemical capacitance in KNO3 solutions and was estimated to increase by an order of magnitude compared to a smooth Ag surface. There was a systematic change in the optical properties of the sponges, with a trend towards less metallic behaviour as the ligament size decreased and pore density increased. These changes culminated in the sponge prepared from the 73 at.% Al precursor having non-metallic characteristics with regard to visible and near-infrared light. The volume fraction of metal was estimated to be of the order of 40 ± 5%. Prior annealing of the precursor inhibited dealloying. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T07:05:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b56461635ba346849cd6179534221515 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-8459 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T07:05:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Surfaces and Interfaces |
| spelling | doaj.art-b56461635ba346849cd61795342215152024-04-22T04:11:58ZengElsevierResults in Surfaces and Interfaces2666-84592024-05-0115100217Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanospongesSanaa A. Alzahrani0Kaludewa S.B. De Silva1Annette Dowd2Matthew D. Arnold3Michael B. Cortie4School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia; Department of Physics, Al-Lith University College, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi ArabiaSchool of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, AustraliaSchool of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia; Corresponding author.School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, AustraliaSchool of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, AustraliaNanoporous silver (np-S) was prepared by free corrosion dealloying of a series of Ag–Al thin films containing between 25 and 73 at.% Al. It was found that precursor composition had an important influence on the nanostructures and morphologies of the np-S. In particular the size of the Ag ligaments systematically decreased from 32 to 13 nm as the Al content was increased over the series. In contrast, there was only a weak effect on pore size, which remained in the range 11–15 nm, with the maximum occurring at about 55 at.% Al. There was however a significant increase in the density of the pores as the Al content of the precursor was increased. The electrical resistivity of the np-S increases with the decrease in ligament size, changing from about 3 × 10−8 Ω m for sponges with ligaments of about 32 nm diameter rising to 30 × 10−8 Ω m for the sponge with the 13 nm ligaments. The surface area of the np-S was estimated by the electrochemical capacitance in KNO3 solutions and was estimated to increase by an order of magnitude compared to a smooth Ag surface. There was a systematic change in the optical properties of the sponges, with a trend towards less metallic behaviour as the ligament size decreased and pore density increased. These changes culminated in the sponge prepared from the 73 at.% Al precursor having non-metallic characteristics with regard to visible and near-infrared light. The volume fraction of metal was estimated to be of the order of 40 ± 5%. Prior annealing of the precursor inhibited dealloying.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666845924000370Ag–Al alloysSputtered filmsEllipsometryNanoporousDealloying |
| spellingShingle | Sanaa A. Alzahrani Kaludewa S.B. De Silva Annette Dowd Matthew D. Arnold Michael B. Cortie Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges Results in Surfaces and Interfaces Ag–Al alloys Sputtered films Ellipsometry Nanoporous Dealloying |
| title | Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges |
| title_full | Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges |
| title_fullStr | Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges |
| title_short | Effect of precursor composition and heat-treatment on the morphology and physical properties of Ag nanosponges |
| title_sort | effect of precursor composition and heat treatment on the morphology and physical properties of ag nanosponges |
| topic | Ag–Al alloys Sputtered films Ellipsometry Nanoporous Dealloying |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666845924000370 |
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