Silver-loaded montmorillonite was prepared via an ion exchange method and a chemical reduction method with silver nitrate and montmorillonite as a silver precursor and a carrier, respectively. The silver content range in Ag/MMT determined by Mohr method is 0.5%–3.0%. The morphology and structure of as-synthesized specimens were characterized by X–ray diffraction, solid UV(UV–visible) absorbent scanning electron microscopy, and Zeta potential analysis, respectively. The results show that silver nanoparticles...