Efficient and Controllable Silver Nanoparticles Generation in Ion-exchanged Soda-lime Glasses by Simultaneous Heat Treatment and UV Exposure

Abstract : In this paper, we report on the space-selective precipitation of silver nanoparticles in ion-exchanged silica-based glasses, by simultaneous continuous wave UV exposure and heat treatment. Changes in the absorption spectrum of the glass are explained by the growth of the silver nanoparticles when increasing the UV power density and the annealing temperature. Nanoparticles of average diameter 40 nm have been observed, whereas silver nanoparticles formed under laser exposure at room temperature are usually limited to few nanometers in diameters.