Anisotropic Seeded Growth of Ag Nanoplates Confined in Shape-Deformable Spaces

Conventional templating synthesis confines the growth of seeds in rigid spaces to achieve faithful morphological replication. Herein, we explore the use of spherical shape-deformable polymeric nanoshells to regulate the anisotropic growth of Ag nanoplates. The flexible shells deform adaptively to accommodate the initial overgrowth of the seeds but restrict the growth in the directions where the shells are fully stretched, eventually producing nanoplates with an unconventional circular profile. The diameter of the final Ag nanoplates can be precisely predicted by stretching and flattering the nanoshells into a plate-like capsule while retaining their original internal surface area. Furthermore, unlike conventional templates, the polymer shells eventually turn themselves into a conformal coating that binds to the surface of the full-grown Ag nanoplates and significantly enhances their stability against oxidative etching.