Seeded growth of gold-based nanostructures regulated by controlled doping

Abstract

Seeded growth has been widely accepted as a vital synthetic strategy to achieve noble metal NCs with high quality (i.e., high uniformity in size/shape) and versatile control over the morphology and structure. To realize such a goal in controlled synthesis, the change in the chemical state of the particle surface during the growth stage is of great importance, and has gradually attracted research attention. Typically, the capping agents that are used to suspend nanoparticles in a solvent, such as surfactant molecules, polymers, or inorganic anions, can easily adsorb and desorb on the surface during the growth procedure, and would not significantly affect the interfacial strain between the seed metal and deposited metal. In contrast, if the nanoparticle surface is modified with metallic or non-metallic elements in distinct forms, the surface lattice parameters would be varied to a great extent, thus causing notable change to the interfacial strain and the following growth pattern. In this review article, we will introduce the fundamental aspects and general principles of the doping strategy towards versatile manipulation of the seeded growth of noble metal NCs. Then, case studies of recent progress in this field will be provided and analyzed. Finally, the challenges and opportunities will be summarized.