EFFECT OF BIOSYNTHESIZED SILVER NANOPARTICLES ON THE OPTICAL, STRUCTURAL, AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF TiO2 NANOCRYSTALS.

The development of efficient metal doped semiconductors for Photovoltaic applications has gained a lot of research attention. In this present paper, pure and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-modified TiO₂ nanocrystals (NCs) with different amount of AgNPs (say 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 µL) were achieved and the effects of AgNPs on the TiO₂ NCs were explored systematically. The optical, structural and morphological properties were probed using UV-visible spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results of the optical studies showed a characteristic peak of TiO₂ and the redshifting of the peak position was observed by introducing AgNPs. The synergetic effects from AgNPs and TiO₂ results to diminished band gap. The XRD result confirmed the formation of a tetragonal anatase TiO₂ phase with a decrease in crystallite size with increasing AgNPs content. The SEM images show enhanced nucleation and film growth with presence of shining surface which can be seen to contribute to good photon management by enhancing light scattering. The unadulterated TiO₂ and AgNPs-modified TiO₂ have spherical morphology and uniform size distribution ranging from 20 to 30 nm. This study established the view that surface modification of TiO₂ with AgNPs is a viable approach towards achieving an efficient light photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]