Facet-controlled {100}Rh-Pt and {100}Pt-Pt dendritic nanostructures by transferring the {100} facet nature of the core nanocube to the branch nanocubes

Abstract

Facet-controlled dendritic nanostructures are expected to exhibit excellent catalytic properties because both aggregation-free nature and controlled facet-originated activity and selectivity can be accomplished. However, such examples are extremely rare due to the incompatibility of the dendrite formation process with the usage of surface-stabilizing moieties, which are typically used to control facets. Herein, we demonstrate that regiospecific growth on a facet-controlled core nanoparticle can induce the facet-control of the branch nanoparticles. Specifically, facet-controlled dendritic nanostructures of {100}Rh-Pt and {100}Pt-Pt can be conveniently prepared by transferring the crystallographic behaviour of the {100}Pt dendritic core nanocube to the {100}Rh or {100}Pt branch nanocubes.