One-step synthesis of ultrathin Ag nanowires with high aspect ratio and their application in transparent conductive films

Herein, ultrathin silver nanowires (AgNWs) with high aspect ratio have been obtained by a facile one-step polyol method using FeCl3, NaBr, and NaCl as co-nucleants. Firstly, ultralong AgNWs with length in the range of 110–400 μm were synthesized by adjusting the amount of FeCl3. On the basis, NaBr and NaCl were further added to reduce the diameter of the nanowires. Eventually, ultrafine AgNWs with an average diameter in the range of 15–40 nm, length up to 110 µm, and the aspect ratio as high as 3200 have been successfully developed. The nucleation process of nanowires dependent on oxidation etching was revealed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Flexible transparent conductive film prepared using these AgNWs owned a transmittance about 88% and square resistances of 16.5 Ω/sq. Compared with commercial ITO, transparent conductive films (TCFs) based on these AgNWs have an excellent performance and are expected to become promising candidates for flexible electronic devices.