The evidence for synthesis of truncated triangular silver nanoplates in the presence of CTAB

Truncated triangular silver nanoplates were prepared by a solution-phase approach, which involved the seed-mediated growth of silver nanoparticles in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at 40 °C. The result of X-ray diffraction indicates that the as-prepared nanoparticles are made of pure face centered cubic silver. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy studies show that the truncated triangular silver nanoplates, with edge lengths of 50 ± 5 nm and thicknesses of 27 ± 3 nm, are oriented differently on substrates of a copper grid and a fresh mica flake. The corners of these nanoplates are round. The selected area electron diffraction analysis reveals that the silver nanoplates are single crystals with an atomically flat surface. We determine the holistic morphology of truncated triangular silver nanoplates through the above measurements with the aid of computer-aided 3D perspective images.