Ferric Chloride-Induced Synthesis of Silver Nanodisks with Considerable Activity for the Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

[Image: see text] Silver nanodisks (AgNDs) have been successfully synthesized by using ferric chloride as an auxiliary agent in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone and N,N-dimethylformamide as both a solvent and a reducing agent. The mass ratio of reactants, temperature, and time were demonstrated to be the key factors determining the morphology of the product, and the conversion of Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) ions played an important role in increasing the ratio of silver nanosheets (AgNSs). As the reaction prolonged, the etching effect of Cl(–) ions on the tips of AgNSs became more and more obvious, which made the obtained typical polygonal AgNSs turn into AgNDs eventually. In addition, the prepared AgNDs exhibited a considerable catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.