The formation of silver nanofibres by liquid/liquid interfacial reactions: mechanistic aspects

The liquid/liquid interfacial reaction (LLIR) between silver nitrate in aqueous solution and ferrocene in organic solution has been investigated: the resultant silver deposit is found to contain long, well-defined nanometre scale fibres, together with thin silver nanowire networks. In situ optical microscopy and ex situ scanning electron microscopy indicate that the 1D growth of the interfacial deposits is due to recrystallisation of the structure formed initially. Geometric factors are found to exert a larger effect on the 1D growth of silver by LLIRs compared to the electrochemical mechanism previously suggested by Scholz et al.