Photochemical formation of electrically conductive silver nanowires on polymer scaffolds

A photochemical method has been exploited for the synthesis of electrically conductive silver (Ag) nanowires in a polymer solution in the presence of negatively charged Au seed particles. The synthesis was completed within 8 min of UV-photoirradiation in ambient conditions. The nanowires were fabricated on a PVA template having an average diameter of 135+/-20 nm and a length of 10-20 microm. The current-voltage (I-V) characterization showed that the PVA-Ag nanowires were continuous, having Ohmic behavior with low contact resistance. Results indicate that the PVA acted as a reducing agent, stabilizing agent, and a template for the nucleation and growth of Ag nanowires. The Ag deposition was highly selective and on the PVA only. Our research indicated that the PVA-Ag nanowires might be useful as interconnects in nanoscale integrated circuitry, functional nanodevices, and in optoelectronics.