Direct and self-selective synthesis of Ag nanowires on patterned graphene

We report the direct and self-selective synthesis of Ag nanowires (NWs) on graphene patterns through a modified citrate reduction reaction approach. High-density NWs were selectively formed only on the graphene areas, whereas NWs were not synthesized on the SiO2/Si and glass substrates. The size and density of the Ag NWs gradually increased with increasing reaction time and AgNO3 concentration. When the Ag NWs were synthesized with 60 mM AgNO3 at 90 degrees C for 30 min, the average width and length of the NWs were approximately 150 nm and 3 mu m, respectively. Graphene-Ag NW hybrids showed excellent light transmittance (91.5% at 550 nm) with low sheet resistance (102 ohm sq(-1)). These properties can be further optimized by manipulating the size and density of the Ag NWs. This simple and cost-effective process for the fabrication of graphene-Ag NW hybrid electrode patterns is useful for a variety of applications.