Polymer Templated Synthesis of AgCN and Ag Nanowires

A template-based method for the fabrication of silver cyanide and polymer composite nanowires is described. Poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) forms nanotubes in aqueous solution and acts as a template, guiding the growth of silver cyanide into long nanowires. The structures obtained can grow to several tens of micrometers in length and their diameter range from several to tens of nanometers. These AgCN nanowires can be reduced to metallic silver to form a high surface area Ag(0) nanowire array on a flexible nylon filter substrate.