Optical properties of AgI nanoparticles for cloud seeding

Abstract

Cloud seeding is a technique utilized to address water shortage, primarily in areas affected by drought, and is considered a form of weather modification. The process entails modifying the distribution or characteristics of precipitation, originating from clouds, by introducing substances into the atmosphere. These compounds act as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei, therefore altering the microphysical processes of the cloud. Silver iodide (AgI) is widely recognized as one of the most employed substances for cloud seeding. Using AgI particles in the nanoscale could produce more nuclei due to the increasing contact surface area between AgI and water molecules as well as improving dispersion of silver iodide NPs. This paper intended to experimentally synthesize AgI NPs using a hydrothermal synthesis approach as an efficient process for producing NPs to be used in cloud seeding applications and investigate the optical properties of prepared NPs. All optical results of synthesized show successful preparation of AgI NPs.