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We report a niche synthetic strategy to manipulate the shape of gold‐silver (AuAg) nanocrystals based on kinetics control. The success of current work relies on the use of two syringe pumps to add Au and Ag precursor solutions independently at distinct injection rates, which allows the separate control over the feeding rate of Au and Ag atoms, respectively. Such strategy is validated effective in both one‐pot reduction and seeded growth involving spherical and rod‐likes Au seeds. By conducting orthogonal experiments setting two injection rates at three levels, a set of morphologies are obtained. Interestingly, AuAg alloy nanocrystals in the form of multipod, hollow protruded particles, and branched hollow nanoplate, that are rare to obtain via conventional routes, are successfully screened out, exhibiting the unique advantage of this strategy. The current work provides a feasible approach to applying kinetics control over AuAg bimetallic nanocrystals, which could be extended to other noble metals or material combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a facile synthesis of Au@PdAg alloy core‐shell nanocrystals in dendrite form, having tunable size and composition. In particular, using spherical Au nanoparticles as seeds, the co‐reduction of Pd and Ag precursor in growth stage results in the formation of PdAg alloy shells with a dendrite shape. Their size and elemental composition can be tuned by varying the seed amount and feeding ratio in Pd and Ag precursor, respectively, illustrating the versatility of the current synthetic strategy. The size, morphology, and elemental composition of the products have been characterized using a set of techniques, including SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, HAADF‐STEM, and EDX‐STEM mapping. When working as electrocatalysts, the current Au@PdAg alloy core‐shell nanocrystals supported by carbon black exhibit enhanced activity and excellent operation stability for electroxidation of ethanol as compared to commercial Pd/C. The current work offers a feasible strategy to preparation of multi‐metallic core‐shell dendritic nanocrystals with controllable size and composition and could find important use in fuel cells and related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the seeded growth of gold@silver (Au@Ag) core‐shell nanocrystals with the shape of truncated right bipyramids (TRB) and their hollow derivatives obtained via a galvanic replacement reaction. In particular, by depositing Ag on single‐crystal Au seeds under kinetic control, the resultant Au@Ag core‐shell products exhibit planar defects. Morphology and structure characterization is performed to confirm the crystallinity variation and the resultant TRB shape. Considering that elemental Au and Ag have similar lattice constants and negligible lattice mismatch, this phenomenon is quite unique, as the crystallinity of product is typically governed by the seed. The size of final product can be controlled in the range of 37–85 nm by varying the volume of the Au seed solution. In addition, by reacting with gold precursor, the as‐prepared Au@Ag TRBs can be converted into Au‐based nanostructures with hollow interiors, showing absorbance properties continuously tuned in the visible range, which could find important use in photocatalysis, sensing, and fluorescence enhancement, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A synthetic case is reported that demonstrates the cationic additive, Ag+, can influence the crystallinity and thus shape of final product during seeded growth of Au nanocrystals. Using single‐crystal Au seeds as reference, the crystallinity difference between seed and final product could be directly compared. In particular, three different types of crystallinity/morphology can be obtained by varying the concentration of Ag+ in the particle growth solutions: single‐crystal quasi‐spheres, multiply twinned particles (MTPs), and protruded MTPs, with no Ag+ added and solution Ag+ /Au3+ ratios of 1 : 20 and 1 : 5, respectively. The reaction kinetics are investigated using extinction spectroscopy, indicating the presence of Ag+ leads to a dampened growth of Au nanocrystals. This principle is validated using single‐crystal Au seeds with different morphology and amounts. We also test the anti‐corrosion performance of as‐prepared Au nanocrystals with different crystallinity by treating them with sodium thiosulfate. Interestingly, in addition to reduction in size, the morphology of single‐crystal ones varies from quasi‐sphere to cube, indicating the anisotropy in oxidative etching of Au nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A synthetic case is reported that demonstrates the cationic additive, Ag+, can influence the crystallinity and thus shape of final product during seeded growth of Au nanocrystals. Using single‐crystal Au seeds as reference, the crystallinity difference between seed and final product could be directly compared. In particular, three different types of crystallinity/morphology can be obtained by varying the concentration of Ag+ in the particle growth solutions: single‐crystal quasi‐spheres, multiply twinned particles (MTPs), and protruded MTPs, with no Ag+ added and solution Ag+ /Au3+ ratios of 1 : 20 and 1 : 5, respectively. The reaction kinetics are investigated using extinction spectroscopy, indicating the presence of Ag+ leads to a dampened growth of Au nanocrystals. This principle is validated using single‐crystal Au seeds with different morphology and amounts. We also test the anti‐corrosion performance of as‐prepared Au nanocrystals with different crystallinity by treating them with sodium thiosulfate. Interestingly, in addition to reduction in size, the morphology of single‐crystal ones varies from quasi‐sphere to cube, indicating the anisotropy in oxidative etching of Au nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a facile synthesis of silver (Ag) nanoplates with rough edges via seeded growth. The key to this success is relies on the manipulation of the competitive relationship between surface diffusion and kinetics-controlled growth. In particular, Ag atoms initially deposit on the corners and edges of seed plates and then diffuse towards the low-curvature region in a controlled way to form edges with rough features. The as-prepared Ag plate-shaped products were also tested for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which exhibited the dependence of SERS enhancement on edge roughness. The current work offers an effective synthetic route to control the shape of Ag nanoplates and could find important use in shape-controlled synthesis of other noble metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Silver nanorods/nanowires were prepared within the range of sub-20 nm diameter. • The diameter can be controlled, as small as 12 nm, using 5-nm spherical Au seeds. • One-dimensional trimetallic (Au@Pd-Ag) hollow products were prepared via GRR. We report a facile synthesis of silver nanorods/nanowires with the diameter in the range of sub-20 nm via seeded growth. The key to the success of this work relies on the use of tiny Au seeds and manipulation over reaction kinetics. In particular, their diameter could be controlled to as small as 12 nm using 5-nm spherical Au seeds. They can be further converted to trimetallic (Au@Ag-Pd) hollow derivatives with tunable hollow degree and elemental compositions by galvanic replacement reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic semiconductor nanomaterials have been widely accepted as promising candidates for photothermal conversion, while the efficiency is yet to optimize. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of Au@Cu x O mesoporous nanospheres anchored with branched Ag nano-islands on the surface and explore their applications as photothermal conversion agent. Due to the intimate hybridization of two materials, the Au@Cu x O-Ag hybrid nanocomposites display a unique dual-plasmonic absorption that covers the visible-NIR range, benefiting the utilization efficiency of light energy. The synthesis is realized by reacting Au@Cu x O with Ag+, the galvanic replacement reaction between them enables a preferential depletion of Cu phase, leaving Ag and Cu 2 O as dominate crystal phases. The resulting hybrid nanocomposites are featured with a core-shell structure but incomplete coverage, as well as the mesoporous interior and dendritic outer shell. In addition to the enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency, the current nano-hybrids show excellent structural stability and no decay in conversion after five successive rounds of measurement. The advantages in both morphological and electronic structure aspects are discussed. The present study validates the promising synergetic use of distinct hot charge carriers originating from metal and semiconductor that are photoexcited in the same hybrid nanoparticle for photothermal conversion, shedding light on rational design of photothermal materials based on metal-semiconductor hybrid nanocomposites. Au@Cu x O mesoporous nanospheres anchored with branched Ag nano-islands are successfully prepared with dual plasmonic absorptions covering the vis-NIR region, exhibiting improved photothermal conversion efficiency and cycling stability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]