at least one article comprising the at least one metal nanowire of embodiment w into a 500 ml reaction flask was added 230 ml 2 3 butanediol and 0 8 g of a 22 mm solution of fecl 2 in 2 3 butanediol this solution was stripped of at least some dissolved gases by bubbling n 2 into the solution for at least 2 hrs using a teflon u00ae fluoropolymer tube at room temperature with mechanical stirring while at 100 rpm this operation will be referred to as u201c degassing u201d in the sequel stock solutions of 0 25 m agno 3 in 2 3 butanediol and 0 84 m polyvinylpyrrolidinone pvp in 2 3 butanediol were also degassed by bubbling n 2 into the solutions at room temperature two syringes were loaded with 20 ml each of the agno 3 and pvp solutions the reaction mixture was heated to 145 u00b0 c over 45 min under 0 5 ml min n 2 blanketing the agno 3 and pvp solutions were then added at a constant rate over 20 minutes via 12 gauge teflon u00ae fluoropolymer syringe needles excellent silver nanowires were produced even before the addition of the agno 3 and pvp solutions was complete an optical micrograph of the unpurified silver nanowire product is shown in fig1 the average length and diameter of the nanowires were calculated by measurement of at least 100 nanowires and found to be 16 8 u00b1 8 5 u03bcm and 71 8 u00b1 26 6 nm respectively the procedure of example 1 was repeated but using a reaction temperature of.