Engineering the properties of metal nanostructures via galvanic replacement reactions

In this review, we will bring the reader up to date with recent advances in the use of galvanic replacement reactions to engineer highly tunable nanostructures for a variety of applications. We will begin by discussing the variety of templates that have been used for such reactions and how the structural details (e.g., shape, size, and defects, among others) have interesting effects on the ultimate product, beyond serving as a simple site for deposition. This will be followed by a discussion of how we can manipulate the processes of alloying and dealloying to produce novel structures and how the type of precursor affects the final properties. Finally, the interesting optical properties of these materials and some innovative applications in areas of biomedical engineering and catalysis will be discussed, completing our overview of the state of the art in galvanic replacement. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.