The concept of shape-controlled synthesis is discussed by investigating the growth mechanisms for silver nanocubes, nanowires, and nanospheres produced through a polymer-mediated polyol process. Experimental parameters, such as the concentration of AgNO(3) (the precursor to silver), the molar ratio between poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP, the capping agent) and AgNO(3), and the strength of chemical...

Using propagating plasmons on silver nanowires as an excitation source we perform surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) at a nanoparticle/wire junction located remotely from the laser illumination spot with sensitivities in a few molecules range. Simultaneous multisite remote-excitation SERS sensing can also be achieved.

We have studied surface plasmon modes on silver and gold nanowires of a fixed cross section and different lengths, produced by electron beam lithography. The optically excited modes are determined by extinction spectroscopy and can be interpreted in terms of standing plasmon polariton waves. The eigenfrequencies are found to follow a dispersion relation similar to that for a planar metal/dielec...

As an alternative to the traditional indium tin oxide transparent electrode, solution-processed metal nanowire thin film has been a promising candidate due to its flexibility. However, high contact resistance between the nanowires remains a major challenge to improve the performance. Here, we have investigated a one-step process of coating and welding of nanowires on flexible film. An electric ...

Contemporary nanostructured transparent electrodes for use in solar cells require high transmittance and high conductivity, dictating nanostructures with high aspect ratios. Optical haze is an equally important yet unstudied parameter in transparent electrodes for solar cells that is also determined by the geometry of the nanostructures that compose the electrode. In this work, the effect of th...

Development of thin-film transparent conductors (TC) based on percolating networks of metal nanowires has leaped forward in recent years, owing to the improvement of nanowire synthetic methods and modeling efforts by several research groups. While silver nanowires are the first commercially viable iteration of this technology, systems based on copper nanowires are not far behind. Here we presen...

Templated electrodeposition was used to synthesize silver-zinc oxide nanowires and iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanotubes in polycarbonate track etched (PCTE) membranes. Metal/oxide segmented nanowires were made to produce hydrogen gas from a water/methanol mixture under ultraviolet irradiation. It was observed that gas production increased during irradiation. Iron oxide nanotubes were synthesized via a ...

A new anthracene-based ligand shows emission shift and decrease of excimer band upon coordination to silver ions when crystallized from methanol. Changing the solvent leads to the formation of amorphous nanowires exhibiting large emission bands before transforming into a second crystalline compound with excimer emission similar in intensity to the ligand alone.

a-Silica encapsulated silver nanowires (diameter of 25 +/- 5 nm, average length of 10 mum) have been synthesized by reacting (Me3Si)4Si with AgNO3 in nearly quantitative yield. Formation of the a-silica shell layer (1-3 nm) in situ appears to be one of the most important factors in this simple process.

Intrinsically stretchable multilayer circuit boards are fabricated with a fast and material efficient method based on filtration. Silver nanowire conductor patterns of outstanding performance are defined by filtration through wax printed membranes and the circuit board is assembled by subsequent transfers of the nanowires onto the elastomer substrate. The method is used to fabricate a bright st...