Rapid synthesis and growth of silver nanowires induced by vanadium trioxide particles

This study demonstrates a novel approach for rapid synthesis of silver (Ag) nanowires induced by vanadium trioxide (V₂O₃) particles in aqueous solution at room temperature. Silver nanowires have an average diameter of 20 nm and length up to a few micrometers by parametric optimization. The micro-structure of the silver nanowires was characterized by TEM, HRTEM, SEM, and XRD techniques. The optical property of the as-prepared product was measured by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The possible growth mechanism of Ag nanowires via oriented attachment of Ag nanocrystals was discussed. The present approach shows several unique features such as rapid (a few minutes), reproducible and high-yield reaction with no need of any modifiers. V₂O₃ rods were reported for the first time to be used for synthesis of silver nanowires, playing multiple roles as reducing agent, template, and catalyst. The silver nanowires produced are promising for optical applications (e.g., SERS) due to their rough surface.