Preparation of Bi Nanowires from the Reaction between Ammonia and Bi1.7V8O16

This paper details the synthesis of bismuth wires from the reaction of Bi1.7V8O16 and ammonia gas at 450 C. The Bi wires are extruded from polycrystalline pellets of Bi1.7V8O16 and can grow to be almost a centimeter in length with diameters between 10 nm and 20 m. X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and differential thermal analysis measurements confirm that the extruded wires are metallic bismuth.