Controlled nanostructured silver coated surfaces by atmospheric pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition

Thin film silver has been widely reported for its interesting properties. In this paper we describe a route to produce controlled nanostructured silver layers. A combination of Flame Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition at atmospheric pressure, with low cost and a low toxicity silver precursor, was used to generate coatings of structured silver surfaces on glass. This approach gives a high degree of control of surface structure, density and topography. These layers have potential applications in areas such as catalysis, photo-activity and for biocidal surfaces. Our results indicate very high biocidal activity where the nano-structure is proposed as playing a significant role.