Stable dispersions of monocrystalline nanometric silver particles

A method for producing a dispersion of nanometric silver particles, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) reacting at least one soluble silver compound with an alkali metal hydroxide in an aqueous medium, in a presence of a first dispersant, to produce silver oxide solids having an average secondary particle size below 1200 nanometers;
• (b) reacting said silver oxide solids with at least one reducing agent in an aqueous medium, in a presence of a second dispersant, to produce a first dispersion of silver particles, the silver particles having an average secondary particle size below 300 nanometers;
• and
• (c) removing at least a portion of said aqueous medium of step (b) from the silver particles to produce the dispersion of the nanometric silver particles;
• wherein said alkali metal hydroxide and said at least one soluble silver compound react in a stoichiometric ratio of said alkali metal hydroxide to said at least one soluble silver compound, and wherein quantities of said alkali metal hydroxide and said at least one soluble silver compound are added to said aqueous medium in a particular ratio that is at most 0.98 moles of said alkali metal hydroxide to one mole of said at least one soluble silver compound;
• wherein a concentration of said silver particles within said first dispersion is within a range of 0.5% to 5%, by weight of said first dispersion;
• wherein more than 50% by weight of the nanometric silver particles are single-crystal silver particles;
• and wherein an excess of said second dispersant is removed in step (c).