Counter-ion effects of silver salt on the production yield of silver nanoparticles in alcohol reduction process

In the fabrication of silver nanoparticles, the reduction of silver ions is an essential step. In the large-scale synthesis of silver nanoparticles for industrial applications, there are limitations such as economic aspect and side effect of unreduced silver ions. To develop the practical fabrication methods, various fundamental studies for the reduction of silver ions have been reported. In this study, the effect of counter-ions on the reduction yield in alcohol reduction process was investigated. AgClO4, AgNO3, AgBF4, AgPF6, and AgF were employed as silver precursors. The UV–vis spectrum and ISE data show that reduction yield strongly depends on the counter-ions and has the following order: AgF > AgPF6 > AgBF4 > > AgNO3 > AgClO4. This result was explained based on the role of fluoride ions during the reduction process of silver ions. The reduction yield was increased as the amount of fluoride ions was increased due to the released free [H+].