Tuning the dispersity and sphericity of silver particles by wrapping mechanism using Arabic gum

Monodisperse spherical silver micro-assemblies (AgMAs) were prepared through the chemical reaction of ascorbic acid (C6H8O6) and AgNO3. The Anhydrous citric acid (ACA) was used as the surface capping agent to generate silver nano plates (AgNPs) as primary particles. The long chain of Arabic gum (AG) was used as the carrier of primary silver to further synthesize spherical silver. The influence of ACA and AG (ACG) on the formation of silver particles via chemical adsorption is investigated systematically in the paper. AgMAs can be precisely tuned from 1.8 μm to 4.8 μm by adjusting reaction rate. It is a facile way to synthesize silver particles with high sphericity by the wrapping effect of AG, which is beneficial to the preparation of high-quality conductive paste.