Branched Ag nanoplates: synthesis dictated by suppressing surface diffusion and catalytic activity for nitrophenol reduction

Abstract

Ag nanocrystals with branched structures have attracted broad interest due to their application in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and catalysis. Herein, we reported the synthesis of two-dimensional Ag nanoplates with highly branched structures via a seed-mediated method. Systematic studies on controlled kinetic growth were carried out to elucidate the growth mechanism. It was found that such nanostructures could be achieved when the atomic deposition rate was much larger than the surface diffusion rate of Ag atoms on the nanoplates, which was fulfilled by the incorporation of Cu in the Ag lattice through Cu-UPD. The as-prepared branched Ag nanoplates exhibited superior performance towards the catalytic reduction of nitrophenol.