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The presence of various ions has been shown to have a strong impact on the shape and size of silver nanostructures produced via the polyol reduction of AgNO3. Here we report a simple and rapid (reaction time ∼1 h) route to Ag nanowires, in which ethylene glycol serves as the solvent and a precursor to the reducing agent. The reaction could be performed in disposable glass vials, with all the reagents being delivered using pipettes. In addition to the use of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) as a stabilizer, copper (I) or copper (II) chloride had to be added to the reaction to reduce the amount of free Ag+ during the formation of initial seeds and scavenge adsorbed oxygen from the surface of the seeds once formed. In doing so, Ag nanowires were grown preferentially.
Korte et al. (2007) studied this question.