Preparation of triangular and hexagonal silver nanoplates on the surface of quartz substrate

In this paper, triangular and hexagonal silver nanoplates were prepared on the surface of quartz substrate using photoreduction of silver ions in the presence of silver seeds. The obtained silver nanoplates were characterized by atomic force microscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy. It was found that the silver seeds played an important role in the formation of triangular and hexagonal silver nanoplates. By varying the irradiation time, nanoplates with different sizes and shapes could be obtained. The growth mechanism for triangular and hexagonal nanoplates prepared on quartz substrate was discussed.