Silver nanowires: a focused review of their synthesis, properties, and major factors limiting their commercialization

Abstract

Metallic nanostructures play a vital role in the nanoscale engineering of flexible optoelectronic devices as active units. Due to the limited flexibility properties of nanoparticles, researchers are devoting much more attention nowadays to nanowires (NWs) for designing flexible transparent electrodes for different electronic devices. Silver NW (AgNW) possesses a 1D structure with a changeable aspect ratio. It also includes up-to-date properties for future optoelectronic devices, such as low cost, high conductivity, high transparency, and mechanical flexibility. In view of the increasing demand for AgNWs, commercial-scale synthesis of AgNWs is inevitable. However, high discrepancies among the published data have resulted in a major delay in its commercialization. Therefore, this review critically discusses the ignored factors that limit AgNW commercialization and provide possible solutions.