Large-Scale Production of Silver Nanoplates via Ultrasonic-Assisted Continuous-Flow Synthesis

Silver nanoplates hold significant promise for advanced electronic materials, especially in low-temperature conductive silver pastes crucial for next-generation solar cells. However, their widespread practical application, like many nanomaterials, is currently limited by insufficient production capacity and inconsistent quality inherent in conventional batch synthesis methods. To overcome these critical challenges, we developed a novel ultrasound-assisted continuous-flow synthesis method for the scalable and high-yield production of silver nanoplates. This innovative approach effectively addresses common issues such as nanoparticle deposition and pipeline clogging by leveraging ultrasonic cavitation for enhanced mixing and stable flow. Through systematic optimization of synthetic parameters-including temperature, flow rate, and seed concentration-our continuous-flow reactor achieved mass production of pure silver nanoplates at a rate of 3.8 g/h. This scaled-up system is capable of producing hundreds of grams per day. The as-prepared nanoplates demonstrate excellent electrical performance, highlighting the method's potential for industrial-scale manufacturing and significantly advancing the development of high-efficiency electronic devices.