Issue 7, 2021

A review of the role and mechanism of surfactants in the morphology control of metal nanoparticles

Abstract

Although great progress has been made in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles, good repeatability and accurate predictability are still difficult to achieve. This difficulty can be attributed to the synthetic method based primarily on observation and subjective experience, and the role of many surfactants remains unclear. It should be noted that surfactants play an important role in the synthetic process. Understanding their function and mechanism in the synthetic process is a prerequisite for the rational design of nanocatalysts with ideal morphology and performance. In this review article, the function of surfactants is introduced first, and then the mechanism of action of surfactants in controlling the morphology of nanoparticles is discussed according to the types of surfactants, and the promoting and sealing effects of surfactants on the crystal surface is revealed. The relationship between surfactants and the morphology structure of nanoparticles is studied. The removal methods of surfactants are discussed, and the existing problems in the current development strategy are summarized. Finally, the application of surfactants in controlling the morphology of metal nanocrystals is prospected. It is hoped that the review can open up new avenues for the synthesis of nanocrystals.

Graphical abstract: A review of the role and mechanism of surfactants in the morphology control of metal nanoparticles

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
14 অক্টো. 2020
Accepted
29 জানু. 2021
First published
29 জানু. 2021

Nanoscale, 2021,13, 3895-3910

A review of the role and mechanism of surfactants in the morphology control of metal nanoparticles

T. Song, F. Gao, S. Guo, Y. Zhang, S. Li, H. You and Y. Du, Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 3895 DOI: 10.1039/D0NR07339C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements