Solution-combustion: the versatile route to synthesize silver nanoparticles

The solution-combustion synthesis (SCS) method was used to prepare silver nanoparticles using glycine and citric acid as fuels. The different combination of fuel to oxidant ratio was used to prepare Ag nanoparticles and its effect on optical spectra, structure and the morphology explored. The purposed method is rapid, effective, cheap and convenient. Silver nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes were synthesized depending upon the different oxidant/fuel ratios. The nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. Histograms were drawn to compare the mean particle size of synthesized nanoparticles. It was found that citric acid was better fuel as compared to glycine as it results in the more spherical symmetrical nanoparticles, which are supported by various characteristic studies.