Therefore, the use of a high concentration of the Na3Cit retards the fusion of these spheres, and only short chains and spherical particles, can be observed. To verify this mechanism, the intermediate product of the synthesis was collected after 30 minutes when the color of the suspension started to change (gray) and examined by TEM. It is worth noting that the sample was first diluted to retard the growth of the particles before being dried on the copper grid. However, the growth still proceeds slowly, and thus, different products can be observed, showing the different stages of the synthesis mechanism. As proposed, small spherical nanoparticles with a diameter of 5 nm have been observed and can be identified as the initial stage. These small insitu formed spheres assemble and fuse to form rod-like structures. The growth continues laterally to form the nanowires, as shown in Figure and. Additionally, Figure shows a TEM image of a free nanowire that still preserves the shape of the spheres, which confirms our proposed mechanism. Finally, the gold nanowires are further interlaced, forming network-like structures and nanobundles, as illustrated in Figure . Previously, Feng and coworkers have shown a similar growth mechanism. They synthesized ultrathin gold nanowires using the triisopropylsilane as a reducing agent and oleylamine as a stabilizer and a growth template. The authors observed small spherical nanoparticles (3-8 nm) as the initial stage. The fusion of these nanoparticles led to the formation of chain-like nanoparticles, which were then transformed into smooth gold nanowires.