TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: In the method, the step of providing the second metal or metal ion involves providing a composition comprising at least one first compound containing the first reducible metal ion; at least one second compound having the second metal or metal ion; and at least one solvent. The step of reducing the first reducible metal ion occurs in the presence of the second metal or metal ion. Preferred Components: The second compound comprises at least one chloride ion (preferably gallium(III) chloride and aluminum(III) chloride hexahydrate). The first reducible metal ion comprises at least of a coinage metal ion or an ion of an element from IUPAC Group 11 or at least one ion of silver. The second metal or metal ion comprises gallium or an ion of gallium, and aluminum or an ion of aluminum. EXAMPLE - To 500 ml reaction flask containing ethylene glycol (EG) (280 mL) was added a freshly prepared solution of 27 mM gallium chloride (GaCl3) (1 g). This solution was stripped of at least some dissolved gases by bubbling N2 into the solution for at 60 minutes using a glass pipette at room temperature with mechanical stirring while at 100 revolutions per minute (rpm). Solutions of 0.77 M polyvinylpyrrolidinone (PVP) and 0.25 M silver nitrate (AgNO3) in EG were also degassed with nitrogen for 60 minutes, then 20 ml syringes of each were prepared. The reaction mixture was heated to 145 degrees C under nitrogen blanketing, then the AgNO3 and PVP solutions were added at a constant rate over 25 minutes via a 12 gauge a Teflon (RTM: polytetrafluoroethylene) fluoropolymer syringe needle. The reaction was held at 145 degrees C for 90 minutes, and then allowed to cool to ambient temperature. The cooled reaction mixture was diluted with an equal volume of acetone, then centrifuged at 500 G for 45 minutes. The decanted solid was then re-dispersed in isopropanol (200 ml), shaken for 10 minutes, then centrifuged and decanted again, followed by dilution with isopropanol (15 ml) to obtain silver nanowires. The obtained silver nanowires had an average diameter of 52.2 plus minus 12.6 nm and an average length of 8.5 plus minus 3.1.