Controlling the fractality and size of silver clusters in the one-step synthesis of Ag–ZnO heterostructures

On the basis of the sol–gel method, techniques for the combined and simultaneous synthesis of fractal silver nano- and microclusters and a matrix of the ZnO metal–oxide semiconductor material have been developed. The possibility of flexibly controlling the size and fractal dimension of metal structures by changing the concentration of silver nitrate in the initial sol is demonstrated. The proposed approaches can be used in the manufacture of photocatalysts, thermistors, biosensors, and other nano- and microsystem devices and tools.