Abstract
We synthesized needle-shaped Ag2CO3 and triangular plates of Ag by applying ultrasonic irradiation to the solid-liquid system, Ag2O/H2O. The samples obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICPES). The ICPES data confirmed that ultrasonic irradiation increased the solubility of Ag2O in distilled water. Applying low-frequency ultrasonic irradiation accelerated the dissolution of Ag2O and enabled needle-shaped Ag2CO3 and the triangular plate of Ag to be obtained by freeze-drying, while applying high-frequency ultrasonic irradiation almost reduced Ag2O to Ag. A variety of silver related materials could be synthesized using this water-based ultrasonic process that was environmentally friendly without adding a surfactant.
