Nucleation of silver upon the reduction by hydrogen in aqueous polyphosphate-containing solutions: Formation of clusters and nanoparticles

In the reduction of Ag+ ions by hydrogen in aqueous polyphosphate-containing solutions, the formation of metal nanoparticles is preceded by the emergence of clusters comprising a few silver atoms and ions. In the process of cluster aggregation, their nuclearity increases and quasi-metallic particles followed by metal nanoparticles are formed. The efficiency of nanoparticle formation rises with the increasing concentration of polymer stabilizer. The mechanism of the formation of hydrosol is discussed.