Solid-state synthesis of silver nanowires using biopolymer thin films.

In this paper, we describe a novel method of silver nanowire (AgNW) synthesis. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized under ambient conditions by a chitosan/chitin-based method. These crystalline AgNPs then served as seeds for the solid-state formation of AgNWs within a drop-cast chitosan/chitin thin film. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of AgNW growth on a bio-polymer thin film. Chemical analysis demonstrated that AgNPs and AgNWs produced by this synthetic process have distinct interactions with polysaccharide polymers, and unlike AgNWs produced by other methods, the AgNWs formed in the chitin/chitosan matrix display an irregular twisted morphology. The flexible AgNW/chitosan nanocomposite material is conductive, and we incorporate this new material into a peroxide sensor to demonstrate of its potential applications in chemical sensing devices.