A facile solution approach for the preparation of Ag@Ni core–shell nanocubes

• First synthesis of Ag@Ni core–shell nanocubes via a solution method.
• Unusual epitaxial growth of Ni shells over Ag {100} facets has been observed.
• The as-prepared nanocubes exhibit room-temperature superparamagnetic properties.
• The incorporation of magnetic component expands functionalities and applications.

We demonstrate that Ag@Ni core–shell crystals with a cubic morphology can be prepared via a non-aqueous method that employs oleylamine to reduce Ni precursors into metallic Ni which is deposited on the pre-synthesized Ag nanocube cores. The as-prepared typical Ag@Ni nanocubes have an average size of 71.1 nm and shell thickness of 7–9 nm. Electron diffraction and XRD analysis reveal a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure for both Ag and Ni. In addition, Ni shells are found to adopt an unusual epitaxial growth over Ag {100} facets. Due to the incorporation of magnetic metal component, the as-prepared Ag@Ni core–shell nanocubes are magnetic controllable in solutions and exhibit room-temperature superparamagnetic properties. The simultaneous combination of multiple functionalities in one nanoscaled entity makes the Ag@Ni core–shell nanocubes a useful functional material which can be applied in diverse fields.

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