Facile Synthesis and Electrical Properties of Silver Wires through Chemical Reduction by Polyaniline

We demonstrate here for the first time a facile fabrication of silver wire (SW) structures with a wide range of sizes and morphologies through direct chemical reduction by polyaniline (PANT). The synthesis of SW is mostly determined by the nature of the PANI dopant and silver nitrate concentration. Time-resolved optical microscopy allows monitoring the growth of SWs in real time and reveals the possible growth mechanism. Temperature-dependent resistance of a SW with 150 nm diameter by a four-probe method shows typical resistance behavior of silver metal, and the electrical conductivity is 2.1 x 10(5) S/cm at room temperature. The morphology-dependent electrical properties of these SWs are measured using a two-probe method. The wires comprised of self-assembled silver nanoparticles usually have lower electrical conductivities than those with smooth surfaces, due to the presence of growth defects and enhanced surface scattering. Current voltage (I-V) curve measurements in a wide potential range either break down or cause surface transformation of the SWs by a synergism of electromigration and surface diffusion. A SW network that shows surface transformation after I-V curve measurement displays a higher resistance. The study of the electrical stability of the SWs opens up a new view of the applicable feasibility of metal nanowires in nanoelectronic devices.