Facile synthesis of self-assembling silver spheres and evaluation of their catalytic properties in organic dyes degradation

Abstract

Hierarchical self-assembly nanostructures have an important interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This research reports a facile method for self-assembly of silver spheres using the Hamelia patens plant extract as a reducing agent. Furthermore, the degradation of organic dyes assesses the catalytic properties of Ag nanostructures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis, and Fourier transform infrared techniques characterized the Ag spheres’ morphology and structure. SEM and TEM images revealed porous Ag assemblies with spherical morphologies of an average size of ~2 µm integrated by 20 nm thick petals. Also, more compact Ag spheres with an average size of around 3 µm, containing nanorods of around 100 nm on their surface, were obtained. Energy dispersive spectrometer and XRD techniques determined the chemical composition and crystal structure of the spheres. UV–Vis spectra show bands ranging from 400 to 500 nm, confirming quantum confinement in the material. Silver spheres with petals showed the best degradation performance of organic dyes such as methylene blue, methyl orange, and rhodamine B.