Fabrication of a Flowerlike Ag Microsphere Film with Applications in Catalysis and as a SERS Substrate

Graphical Thin films of Ag microflowers (MFs) were fabricated on substrates. SEM studies revealed that the Ag MFs are assembled from thin nanosheets composed of Ag nanoparticles. The potential of the film as a catalyst in the reduction of nitrophenols and as a substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering was investigated. Three-dimensional flowerlike Ag microstructures were assembled in situ on a substrate to fabricate Ag microflower (Ag MF) films. The morphology and size of the Ag MFs can be easily controlled by varying the reaction time. The mechanism of growth of Ag MFs was investigated by SEM. The shape evolution revealed that the Ag MFs are assembled from thin nanosheets composed of Ag nanoparticles (NPs), and the elemental composition of the NPs was evidenced by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis. The potential of the film as a catalyst in the reduction of nitrophenols was investigated. The reusability of the catalyst was estimated by recycling catalysis of 4-nitrophenol. Moreover, the Ag MF film could be used as a versatile substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for detection of Rhodamine 6G with a detection limit as low as 1 × 10 –7 m . The results demonstrated that the Ag MF film exhibits excellent SERS enhancement ability and catalytic activity.