Colloidal silver nanoplates. State of the art and future challenges

This Feature Article provides an overview of current research on the synthesis and properties of silver nanoplates. Starting from a brief description of the origin of the optical properties of Ag nanoparticles and the factors affecting them, we introduce the numerical methods used for modelling—discrete dipole approximation (DDA) and boundary element method (BEM)—and present a comparative study between theoretical predictions and experimental results. Then, the principal physical and wet-chemical synthetic protocols that have been used to obtain Ag nanotriangles/nanoplates in high yield are described, with a discussion of the formation mechanisms proposed by the different authors. Subsequently, the structural characterization of the particles is described, followed by a section devoted to the reactivity and stability of silver nanoplates. We conclude with a description of potential applications in the field of biological and chemical sensors and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).