Synthesis and kinetics of micron-scale silver(I) oxide via efficient chemical precipitation process

Micron-scale Ag₂O particles were successfully synthesized using efficient chemical precipitation method and the reaction kinetics concerning the empirical rate law were investigated. The effects of the reaction components which consisted of AgNO₃, NaOH and NH₃•H₂O on reaction rate and morphology of the prepared Ag₂O were evaluated. As a result, the concentration of NaOH had an important influence on reaction rate and reaction conversion rate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses show that the purity and phase composition of Ag₂O altered with NaOH concentration. The effects of reaction temperature on reaction rate and the morphology of Ag₂O were also evaluated. In addition, the empirical kinetic equation was determined by the formation rate of Ag₂O and the activation energy (E _a) was 40.58 kJ mol^-1. The prepared micron-scale Ag₂O particles are environmentally friendly and are expected to used as precursors for the preparation of energetic materials or used in other industrial fields.