Microwave-assisted polyol synthesis of Ag powders

Silver metal powders were prepared through reduction of AgNO3 in ethylene glycol using microwave-polyol (M-P) and conventional-polyol (C-P) reactions at 100–200 °C. Powders of Ag were rapidly produced by microwave-assisted reaction at temperatures above 160 °C. The formation yield of Ag powders from AgNO3 reached 97.8% after treatment for 135 min at 140 °C and 98.6% after treatment for 23 min at 160 °C. Compared to the formation of Ag powders using a C-P reaction, a M-P reaction led to increased rate of formation by 6.5 times at 160 °C, 5.2 times at 140 °C, and 3 times at 130 °C. Silver particles of 0.3–2 μm in diameter were produced using M-P and C-P reactions at 100–120 °C. The particle size of Ag powders increased with increasing reaction temperatures and times, and particles strongly aggregated at 160 °C using C-P and M-P reactions.