Electrochemical Synthesis and Characterization of AgO Nanoparticles

Silver (II) oxide (AgO), a strong oxidizing agent, is used in chemical technology and has become increasingly important in batteries [1]. AgO particles can be synthesized in two chemical and electrochemical methods. The AgO particles synthesized by the electrochemical method have a higher chemical stability compared to chemical methods, and are considered in the battery field because of their high capacity as an active cathode [2]. Until now, AgO nanoparticles were synthesized only by chemical methods and using surfactants [3]. In this research, The AgO nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple and efficient electrochemical method. This procedure was performed in a two electrode cell using aqueous sodium nitrate electrolyte, silver sacrificial anode, silver cathode, at a constant current mode and current density equal to 2.5 mA per cm2 under room temperature. The particles were identified and characterized by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The FT-IR spectrum of AgO dried powder shows a sharp peak at the frequency of 530 cm1 that certifies formation of AgO particles. In the XRD pattern, four major peaks of [200], [002], [111] and [202] at 2θ positions equal to 32.4, 32.2, 34.2, 37.4 and 39.8, respectively, confirm the formation of AgO particles. The SEM micrograph (Fig. 1) shows that shape of the synthesized AgO particles is quasi-spherical. In terms of particle size, all the particles have an average particle size below 100 nm. Consequently, using this method can be synthesized AgO nanoparticles. Also, the results indicated that the shape and size of AgO nanoparticles could be controlled by varying current density and electrolyte.