Synthesis of silver nanoparticles on functional multi-walled carbon nanotubes

In this paper, purified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were modified by SnCl2, and a new method of fabricating silver (Ag) nanoparticles on modified MWNTs is presented. The structure and nature of modified MWNTs and Ag/MWNT composites were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that oxygen-containing surface groups, which are predominately ketone, carboxylic, nitro and ester groups, were introduced into the modified MWNTs, and the Ag nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in these modified MWNTs.