The effects of salt chemistry and concentration on the morphology and yield of silver nanorods produced by the microwave-assisted polyol synthesis are reported. Compared to NaCl, iron and copper salts reduced nanorod yield and length and increased diameter. This is in stark contrast to expectations based on the slower traditional polyol process. The role of the cation was further explored using MgCl2 and MnCl2 which showed different concentration dependent effects on nanorod diameter. In addition, the morphology and yield of nanomaterials was found to be significantly influenced by small variations in the procedure including container shape and the time between reactant mixing and microwave heating. These results highlight that, while the microwave-assisted process is very promising, results cannot be directly anticipated based on the traditional process, and the synthesis is very sensitive to procedural changes.
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