Growth of Porous Ag@AuCu Trimetal Nanoplates Assisted by Self-Assembly

The self-assembly process of metal nanoparticles has aroused wide attention due to its low cost and simplicity. However, most of the recently reported self-assembly systems only involve two or fewer metals. Herein, we first report a successful synthesis of self-assembled Ag@AuCu trimetal nanoplates in aqueous solution. The building blocks of multibranched AuCu alloy nanocrystals were first synthesized by a chemical reduction method. The growth of Ag onto the AuCu nanocrystals in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) induces a self-assembly process and formation of Ag@AuCu trimetal nanoplates. These nanoplates with an average side length of over 2 μm show a porous morphology and a very clear boundary with the branches of the as-prepared AuCu alloy nanocrystals extending out. The shape and density of the Ag@AuCu trimetal nanoplates can be controlled by changing the reaction time and the concentration of silver nitrate. The as-assembled Ag@AuCu nanoplates are expected to have the potential for wide-ranging applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and catalysis owing to their unique structures.