Growth of Ag nanometre-sized particles in solution: molecular dynamics simulations

This work focuses on the growth of nanometre-sized Ag clusters in solution. Molecular
dynamics simulations have been employed to gain the necessary detail on the dynamics of
solute species and to study the mechanistic features of the processes governing the association
of solute atoms in aggregates. Supersaturated liquid solutions of Ag in tetrachloromethane have
been considered. A systematic variation of the concentration of Ag atoms in solution permitted
us to show the different mechanistic scenarios responsible for the growth processes of solid Ag
clusters. It is shown that such processes are limited by the thermal diffusion of solute in the
solution bulk at relatively low supersaturation degrees, whereas the growth is limited by
interfacial effects at relatively high supersaturation degrees.