Rapid Synthesis of Silver Nanowires - Effects of Stabilizing Ions

The use of various metal salts for the rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles was explored. A standard 1100 W kitchen microwave was used to rapidly heat the reaction medium. Various power settings were evaluated. Reaction times were varied from 60 to 120 sec. Metal salts for evaluation were selected based on cation size and charge, NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, CaCl2, CuCl2, MnCl2, FeCl3. Na2S and NaI were also evaluated as a means to evaluate the effect of anion size and charge. Salt concentration was varied from 0.25 to 0.17mM. The rate of silver wire growth was monitored by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscopy. The yield and aspect ratio are affected by salt selection. MgCl2 and MnCl2 produced a high yield and narrow wire diameter.