Facile synthesis of porous Ag microspheres via Cu2+-mediated reduction of AgCl

A facile approach to producing silver (Ag) microspheres with a porous structure via a one-pot synthesis is described. The success of this work relies on the use of Cu²⁺ to mediate the reduction of silver chloride by oleylamine. The type of additives, amount of copper(II) chloride, type of Ag precursor and reaction temperature were systematically investigated to reveal their roles in the formation of the unique porous structure. The method described provides a convenient route for fabricating porous Ag micro/nanocrystals and could be potentially extended to similar synthesis of other noble metals.