From Ag Nanoprisms to Triangular AuAg Nanoboxes

In recent years, galvanic replacement reactions have been successfully employed to produce hollow bimetallic nanostructures of a range of shapes, yet to date there has been no example of the formation of hollow triangular AuAg nanostructures from a Ag nanoprism template. In this manuscript the first example of the synthesis of enclosed triangular AuAg nanostructures (triangular nanoboxes) via galvanic replacement reactions from Ag nanoprisms is reported. These triangular nanoboxes are studied by TEM and HAADF-STEM imaging to elucidate their structure. These studies show that the nanostructures are hollow do not consist of a Ag core surrounded by a Au shell. Discrete dipole approximation calculations for the extinction spectra are carried out and provide additional evidence that the nanostructures are hollow. These new triangular nanoboxes are very attractive candidates for encapsulation and transport of materials of interest such as drugs, radioisotopes, or magnetic materials: