Unveiling the Role of Precursors in the Byproduct Formation of AgCl-Replicated Bimetallic Nanostructures and Their Stability-Dependent Photothermal Properties

AgCl nanomaterials recently attracted scientific interestas usefulstructural building blocks for producing metallic nanomaterials owingto their facile synthesis, controllable morphology, and ease of removalunder ambient conditions. However, their complex chemical reactivityhas primarily been studied in association with water solubility orreducibility. This study investigates the pivotal role of precursorligands in the photochemical synthesis of metallic cubic mesh nanostructureson the AgCl templates. The side reactions between AgCl and Au precursorswith different ligands are thoroughly discussed along with their influenceon the byproduct formation and the structural stability of the resultingmetallic nanostructures. Importantly, we introduce for the first timethe partial destruction of AgCl and the formation of undesirable byproductscaused by the presence of highly oxidizing and Cl-containing AuCl4 (-). In addition, a synthetic route for producinghighly pure and stable metallic nanostructures using a halogen-freeAu precursor or Pt-priming is proposed. Further, the photothermalproperties of these replicated metallic nanostructures are presentedas a new evaluation tool for analyzing their overall structural stability.Discovering the role of precursor ligands in the reaction system willprove useful as a guide for the synthesis of functional noble metalnanomaterials using silver halide templates.

Automated summary

This study investigates the pivotal role of precursor ligands in the photochemical synthesis of metallic cubic mesh nanostructures on the AgCl templates. The study discovers the partial destruction of AgCl and the formation of undesirable byproducts caused by the presence of highly oxidizing and Cl-containing AuCl4(-). Additionally, a synthetic route for producing highly pure and stable metallic nanostructures using a halogen-free Au precursor or Pt-priming is proposed.