Silver nanowires: Synthesis technologies, growth mechanism and multifunctional applications

[Display omitted] •The latest study progress on the synthesis of silver nanowires was reviewed in this article.•The latest application of silver nanowires in multifunctional areas was also concluded.•The typical synthetic technologies and the representative studies were also summarized and discussed.•The challenges that remain with silver nanowires were proposed. Silver nanowires have attracted a lot of attention in both academia and industry because of their potential applications in many electronic devices. In the past decade, there have been many research articles relating to silver nanowires, but there have been relatively few review articles focusing on these unique nanomaterials. In this review, the definition and the characterization of silver nanowires will be introduced. The synthetic methods employed to prepare silver nanowires and the factors that influence their final morphology will also be discussed in detail. Examples of typical synthetic technologies and the representative studies will also be summarized and discussed. In addition, the applications of silver nanowires as conductive materials and components of electronic devices will be reviewed. Lastly, the challenges that remain with silver nanowires will be proposed. [Display omitted]