Deposition of Silver Nanoparticles Coatings on Stainless Steel by Thermal Decomposition of Silver (I) Citrate Ammonia Complex and Characterization of their Structural Properties

Silver Nanoparticles (NPs) coatings were prepared on Stainless Steel S.S316L substrate by thermal decomposition of silver (I) citrate ammonia complex based on aqueous solution of Silver Nitrate (AgNO₃), in the presence of ammonia functional groups as complexing agent during the synthesis process and using citric acid as a stabilizer. After the coating deposition process, the coating samples were thermally treated for one hour at 400°C and 600°C. The crystal lattice constant of the deposited metallic silver was calculated from the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern, and the grain size has been determined using Debye- Scherrer relation. The dislocation density, the number of unit cell, the theoretical density and the morphology index of the silver coatings treated at 400°C and 600°C have also been determined. These coatings were characterized using SEM, EDX, to study their thickness and chemical composition, and Raman spectroscopy to study the nature of different bonding in these coatings.