Microwave-assisted polyol method rapid synthesis of high quality and yield Ag nanowires

Abstract In this study, high quality and yield Ag nanowires (NWs) have been fabricated via a microwave-assisted polyol technique by adding sodium bromide (NaBr) into the solution. In our experiments, the Ag NWs with diameters from 45 to 200 nm are rapidly prepared in 3 min. The fabrication parameters, such as the powers of microwave, concentration of NaBr solution, molar ratio of PVP:AgNO 3 , and the time of microwave, have been investigated in detail. Ag NWs with adjustable diameters can be obtained by adjusting the microwave powers and the NaBr solution concentration. The different microwave powers can provide different reaction energy, result in different reaction rate during the ultrafast nucleation and growth process. The Br − ions can enhance oxidative etching effect and decrease the diameters of the Ag NWs. Our works provide a new and facile approach for the large scale synthesis of Ag NWs with adjustable diameters by simply adjusting microwave powers and the NaBr solution concentration.