Electrochemical preparation of leaf-shaped silver nanoparticles and surface enhanced raman scattering

Dendritic, spherical and leaf-shaped Ag nanoparticles were prepared successful on the surface of FTO conductive glass using sodium citrate as a complexing agent and a stabilizer by electrochemical deposition method. The prepared nano-silver were analyzed and measured using cold field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometer and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The effect of sodium citrate and deposition voltage on the morphology and size of nano-silver were studied. The relationship between different nano-silver shapes and surface enhanced raman scattering was further studied by Rhodamine B as a probe. The result shows that leaf-like nano-silver has good SERS effect when the deposition voltage is 0.5 V; the concentration of sodium citrate is 0.001 mol/L, and deposition time is 1800 s. That substrate can be used to detect the structure of Rhodamine B. The synthesis method is simple, convenient and fast to synthesis nano-silver substrate which is expected to be used for environmental monitoring and structural analysis.