Bromide (Br) - Based Synthesis of Ag Nanocubes with High-Yield

The geometry of metal nanoparticles greatly affects the properties of the localized surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. The synthesis of metal nanoparticles with controllable geometry has thus attracted extensive attentions. In this work, we report a modified polyol synthesis approach of silver (Ag) nanocubes through tuning the concentration of bromide ions (Br(-) ions). We have systematically investigated the effect of Br(-) ions in the polyol process, and find that higher concentration of Br(-) ions can enhance oxidative etching effect, which is the dominative factor in determining nanostructure geometry. Therefore, one can realize control over nanostructure geometry by manipulating the concentration of Br(-) ions. Our work provides an effective approach to control the shape of metallic nanostructures for potential applications.