Stabilization and growth of silver nanocrystals in dendritic polyol dispersions

The chemical and physical properties of metal nanoparticles are governed critically by their size, shape, and morphology. In this work, we present results of the growth of silver nanocrystals in a dispersion medium that allows nanocrystallization comparable to conventional crystal growth from saturated solutions. Dendritic polyol dispersions in an ethanol/water mixture are shown to be dynamic, nanoscopic templates for the growth of silver nanoparticles. Nanocrystals with well-defined shapes in the size range of 10–600 nm are grown using this method.