Affecting the morphology of silver deposition on carbon nanotube surface: From nanoparticles to dendritic (tree-like) nanostructures

Chemical reduction was used to synthesize silver crystals on the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the presence of acetone, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and isopropyl alcohol as solvent. DMF and sodium dodecyl sulfate were used as a reducing and a stabilizing agent, respectively. The structure and nature of hybrid MWCNT/silver were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The presence of silver crystals on the nanotubes was confirmed by XRD. The results show the formation of silver crystals on the MWCNT surface and indicate that the morphology of silver crystals can be control by changing the solvent. The type of solvent is an effective parameter that affects the particle size and morphological transition from nanoparticles to silver trees. - Highlights: • The silver crystals are grown on the CNT surface by chemical reduction method. • The morphology of silver crystals is controlled by changing the solvent. • Silver nanoparticles and dendritic nanostructures on CNT surface are achieved. • Any change in structure and surface defects by synthesis condition is investigated