Oriented growth behavior of Ag nanoparticles using SDS as a shape director

We report a chemical approach for synthesizing shape-controlled Ag nanoparticles by using the surfactant SDS as a soft template. The experimental approach includes a two-step reaction: the first step is quickly generating Ag seed clusters by a chemical reaction using sodium borohydride as a reducing reagent; the second is the slow growth of controllable Ag nanoparticles by a mild chemical reaction using hydroxylamine hydrochloride as a reducing reagent. Spherical, polyhedral, and fibrous Ag nanoparticles are synthesized successfully in aqueous solution having SDS concentrations of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.2 wt.%, respectively. Size, morphology, and dispersion stability of these Ag nanoparticles depend on the concentrations of both SDS and AgNO3.