Preparation of Silver Nanocables Wrapped with Highly Cross-Linked Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Polyphosphazenes via a Hard-Template Approach

Silver/organic-inorganic hybrid poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4'-sulfonyldiphenol) (PZS) coaxial nanocables were prepared by a facile method that involves two steps: the synthesis of silver nanowires through a soft, self-seeding, polyol process followed by adhesion of the PZS nanoparticles on the surface of silver nanowires to generate a cablelike nanostructure. Both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis were used to identify the highly cross-linked structures of PZS layers. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results indicated that the nanocables had a core ca. 80 nm in diameter and a surrounding sheath with controllable thickness. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the silver/PZS nanocables were stable up to 440 degrees C under air atmosphere. This approach could be extended to other metal nanocables wrapped with highly cross-linked organic-inorganic hybrid polyphosphazenes.