Preparation and characterization of copper/silver bimetallic nanowires with core-shell structure.

Core-shell copper/silver bimetallic nanowires were prepared by replacement reaction with citric acid and polyvinylpyrollidone at room temperature. A uniform silver coating was obtained by strictly controlling the molar ratio of Ag/Cu. The copper/silver composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Microscopic analysis shows that a well-copper/silver core-shell structure was formed. Thermo-gravimetry and differential thermal analysis to the composite nanowires show that the silver coatings efficiently inhibit the oxidation of Cu. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]