Reduction and aggregation of silver ions in tert-butanol

Silver ions undergo reduction reactions induced by radiolytically produced products of tert-butanol, a commonly used solvent and scavenger for hydroxyl radicals. Radiolytic reduction of silver ions and the subsequent formation of their clusters are compared with the corresponding processes in aqueous solution. The surface plasmon UV-Vis absorption band of silver nanocrystallites obtained by bombardment of tert-butanol solutions of silver salts with electron pulses showed an absorption maximum at 400 nm. Formation of different sizes of silver nanoparticles was found to be dependent on the dose rate. The nanocrystallites were found to have an average size of 20 nm.