In situsynthesis of silver nanowire gel and its super-elastic composite foams

Noble-metal aerogels (NMAs) including silver aerogels have drawn increasing attention because of their highly conductive networks, large surface areas, and abundant optically/catalytically active sites. However, the current approaches of fabricating silver aerogels are tedious and time-consuming. In this regard, it is highly desirable to develop a simple and effective method for preparing silver aerogels. Herein, we report a facile strategy to fabricate silver gelsviathein situsynthesis of silver nanowires (AgNWs). The obtained AgNW aerogels show superior electrical conductivity, ultralow density, and good mechanical robustness. AgNW aerogels with a density of 24.3 mg cm(-3)display a conductivity of 2.1 x 10(5)S m(-1)and a Young's modulus of 38.7 kPa. Furthermore, using an infiltration-air-drying-crosslinking technique, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was introduced into 3 dimensional (3D) AgNW networks for preparing silver aerogel/elastomer composite materials. The obtained AgNW/PDMS aerogel composite exhibits outstanding elasticity while retaining excellent electrical conductivity. The fast piezoresistive response proves that the aerogel composite has a potential application for vibration sensors.