Combinatorial polymer library approach for the synthesis of silver nanoplates

We employ a combinatorial library approach to control the shape of the silver nanostructures by regulating the structure of their seeds. Twenty-four polymers are investigated in detail with respect to their functionalities, chemical structures, molecular weights, and charges, each of which turns out to play significant roles in synthesizing high-quality silver nanoplates at room temperature in a fast manner. A mechanism depicting the exceptionally stable seed structures 'stitched' by polymer threads is proposed, which clearly explains the experimental observations.