Selective sulfuration at the corner sites of a silver nanocrystal and its use in stabilization of the shape.

This paper describes a new approach to site-selective sulfuration at the corner sites of Ag nanocrystals including triangular nanoplates and nanocubes. The reaction simply involved mixing an aqueous suspension of the Ag nanocrystals with an aqueous solution of polysulfide at room temperature. As a precursor to elemental S, polysulfide is highly soluble in water and can directly react with elemental Ag upon contact to generate Ag(2)S in the absence of oxygen. The reaction was easily initiated at the corner sites and then pushed toward the center. By controlling the reaction time and/or the amount of polysulfide added, the reaction could be confined to the corner sites only, generating Ag-Ag(2)S hybrid nanocrystals with greatly improved stability against aging at 80 and 100 °C in air than their counterparts made of pure Ag.