After more than a decade, it is still unknown whether the plasmon-mediated growth of silver nanostructures can be extended to the synthesis of other noble metals, as the molecular mechanisms governing the growth process remain elusive. Herein, we demonstrate the plasmon-driven synthesis of gold nanoprisms and elucidate the details of the photochemical growth mechanism at the single-nanoparticle level. Our investigation reveals that the surfactant polyvinylpyrrolidone preferentially adsorbs along the nanoprism perimeter and serves as a photochemical relay to direct the anisotropic growth of gold nanoprisms. This discovery confers a unique function to polyvinylpyrrolidone that is fundamentally different from its widely accepted role as a crystal-face-blocking ligand. Additionally, we find that nanocrystal twinning exerts a profound influence on the kinetics of this photochemical process by controlling the transport of plasmon-generated hot electrons to polyvinylpyrrolidone. These insights establish a molecular-level description of the underlying mechanisms regulating the plasmon-driven synthesis of gold nanoprisms.

Biography

W. David Wei (卫 伟) currently is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Florida working in analytical, physical, and materials chemistry with research interests in novel electronic and optical properties of metallic and semiconductor nanomaterials and their applications in solar energy harvesting, conversion and storage; visible-light photocatalysis; and chemical and biological detection. David received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin with Mike White and trained as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University with Chad Mirkin. He has also held a visiting research position at Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL). David has more than 60 publications includingChemical Reviews,Nature Materials,Nature Chemistry,JACS,Angewandte Chemie International Edition,Advanced Materials,and Chemical Science,115 invited talks, and 9 pending patents, and he is a member of the American Chemical Society and American Vacuum Society. He has been awarded a summer fellowship at PNNL, the ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, the Sigma Xi Junior Faculty Research Award, the UF-HHMI Science for Life Distinguished Mentor Award, the UF faculty Adviser/Mentor of the Year Award, the NSF CAREER award, and the UF Term Professorship.