Seed-mediated growth method for high-quality noble metal nanocrystals

This review highlights work from the authors' laboratory on the recent development of seed-mediated growth method for noble metal nanocrystals. The seed-mediated growth method has become one of the most efficient and versatile methods for synthesizing high-quality noble metal nanocrystals. The seed-mediated growth method can separate the nucleation and growth stages of metal nanocrystals, and thus provide better control over the size, size distribution, and crystallographic evolution of metal nanocrystals. Because of its high controllability, the seed-mediated growth method is especially promising in providing mechanistic insights into the growth mechanisms of noble metal nanocrystals. In this review, the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for the nucleation and growth of noble metal nanocrystals are systematically summarized. Mechanistic understanding of these parameters is provided. These studies provide useful guidelines for the rational design and synthesis of novel noble metal nanocrystals with high quality.