Recent Progress in Syntheses and Applications of Dumbbell-like Nanoparticles

This paper reviews the recent research progress in the syntheses and applications of dumbbell-like nanoparticles (NPs). It first describes the general synthesis of dumbbell-like NPs that contain noble metal and magnetic NPs/or quantum dots. It then outlines the interesting optical and magnetic properties found in these dumbbell NPs. The review further highlights several exciting application potentials of these NPs in catalysis and biomedicine.