Thermal perturbation nucleation and growth of silver molybdate nanoclusters by a dynamic template route

Abstract

Silver molybdate (Ag₂MoO₄) nanoclusters were first prepared by a dynamic template route under 20 °C. The heat released from the polymerization of the acrylamide (AM) assisted templates induced high active sites to be generated on the surface of the crystal where more attracted nuclei were adsorbed on. The continuously formed nuclei assembled together and the nanoclusters were formed. The paper provided an explanation for the formation of the Ag₂MoO₄ nanoclusters through the research on reaction conditions; on the other hand, the comparison of photocatalytic performance and antibacterial properties between the Ag₂MoO₄ nanoclusters and the Ag₂MoO₄ crystals of other morphologies showed that the Ag₂MoO₄ nanoclusters had better photocatalytic and antibacterial activities, which was a preliminary perspective for the application of the nanocluster materials.