Etching and growth: an intertwined pathway to silver nanocrystals with exotic shapes

Two-faced nanocrystals: Rapid addition of a second aliquot of silver nitrate during a polyol synthesis led to the formation of anisotropically truncated octahedrons as a result of oxidative etching and overgrowth of silver nanocubes. Three adjacent faces of the nanocube grew more rapidly than the three other faces, generating a non-centrosymmetric structure (see picture).