Facile synthesis of oleylamine-capped silver nanowires and their application in transparent conductive electrodes

Abstract

We report a facile method for the synthesis of oleylamine-capped silver (Ag) nanowires in high purity. For the first time, Ag nanowires could be produced in high purity via a simple one-pot approach in a hydrophobic phase. The success of this synthesis relies on the use of Cu²⁺ to mediate the reduction of silver bromide (AgBr) by oleylamine at an elevated temperature, which promoted the high-yield formation of Ag products with a wire-like shape. These Ag nanowires were washed and deposited on PET films to form a transparent conductive electrode (TCE), which showed a sheet resistance of 34.0 Ω sq⁻¹ and an optical transmittance of 70–80% at visible wavelengths. In addition to TCEs, these nanowires could also find important applications in the fields of conductive ink, and wearable electronics, among others.