Copper ions mediated formation of three-dimensional self-assembled Ag nanostructures via a facile solution route

Novel three-dimensional Ag nanoflowers (3DAN) were successfully synthesized through a facile Cu2+ mediated solution method using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), which serves as both a reducing agent and a solvent at room temperature. It was found that the introduction of a trace amount of Cu2+ could greatly slow the rate of the Ag+ reaction and thus this process effectively reduced the growth speed of Ag nanoparticles allowing 3DAN to be formed. The mechanism underlying the self-assembly process and shape evolution of 3DAN were systematically investigated by varying reaction time. X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the obtained products. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to assess the chemical state and surface composition of the 3DAN. UV-vis absorption spectra of the products collected from the reaction solution at various stages were taken to study their optical properties. In the measurement of surface-enhanced Raman scattering using rhodamine 6G (R6G) as the probe, the 3DAN exhibited a significant enhancement factor, indicating their potential applications in biosensing and nanodevices.