An effective hydrothermal route for the synthesis of multiple PDDA-protected noble-metal nanostructures.

In this article, we demonstrate an effective hydrothermal route for the synthesis of multiple PDDA-protected (PDDA = poly(diallyl dimethylammonium) chloride) noble-metal (including silver, platinum, palladium, and gold) nanostructures in the absence of any seeds and surfactants, in which PDDA, an ordinary and water-soluble polyelectrolyte, acts as both a reducing and a stabilizing agent. Under optimal experimental conditions, Ag nanocubes, Pt and Pd nanopolyhedrons, and Au nanoplates can be obtained, which were characterized by transmission electron microscopy , scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. More importantly, the nanostructures synthesized show potential applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering and electrocatalysis, in which Ag nanocubes and Pt nanopolyhedrons were chosen as the examples, respectively.