Enhancement of AgCrO₂ by double nanometric delafossite to be applied in many technological applications

This work reports a simple, novel, low-cost and eco-friendly synthesis of AgCrO₂ nanoparticles and its double nanometric delafossite Ag₂Cr₂O₄ nanoparticles. The rate of synthesis is much faster than other synthesis methods and this approach is suitable for production in large scale. It is the first time to report the double nanometric delafossite from AgCrO₂ nanoparticles at such low temperature (250 °C) and it is suitable to be applied as photocathode in a dye-sensitized solar cell, antimicrobial and many technological applications. The as-synthesized AgCrO₂ and Ag₂Cr₂O₄ nanoparticles, including their crystal phases, morphologies, element compositions, magnetic and optical properties, have been systematically studied. By enhancing AgCrO₂ nanoparticles to double nanometric delafossite Ag₂Cr₂O₄ nanoparticles, a transformation of magnetic material type has happened from superparamagnetic to ferromagnetic behavior. The optical study revealed that Ag₂Cr₂O₄ nanoparticles had larger values of reflectance, refractive index, real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant and optical conductivity than that of AgCrO₂ nanoparticles. An Antimicrobial application had been studied for both samples. Ag₂Cr₂O₄ nanoparticles had better antimicrobial application than that of AgCrO₂ nanoparticles.