Photoinduced In Situ Growth of Ag Nanoparticles on AgNbO₃

Semiconductor modified with metal nanoparticles shows many interesting properties. Ag nanoparticles with size of 10 nm were in situ grown on AgNbO 3 using the light as the energy source. After Ag nanoparticles decoration, the sample changed color from yellow to brown. The scanning electron microscopy images show that the Ag nanoparticles dispersed on the surface randomly. The apparent localized plasma resonance (LPR) absorption was observed from UV–vis spectrum, and the wavelength and intensity of LPR could be affected by the experimental conditions, such as light intensity, surrounding atmosphere, and the ratio of Ag to Nb. Furthermore, we found the color change is a quasi-reversible photochromism effect.