Preparation and Application of Non-spherical Metal Nanoparticles: Reality and Perspective

Background: In this review, we summarized the relevance of anisotropic morphologies in the synthesis and applications of metal nanoparticles, including Janus nanoparticles. In recent years, the control over the shape of metal particles has successfully achieved. Non-spherical gold nanoparticles such as rods, wires, cubes, triangular prisms, decahedra, or octahedra exhibit unique properties that differ from those of symmetric, spherical gold nanoparticles. Objective: This article provides a general view of current research in the field of anisotropic metal nanoparticles. We begin by explaining the relevance of anisotropic metal nanoparticles in the field of nanotechnology. Then, we distinguish between physical and chemical method frequently performed for the preparation of metallic nanoparticles. In this review we only focus in chemical methods, and the following sections divide the most recently published procedures in two different methods for chemical synthesis: seed-mediated growth and seedless procedures. For each of these routes, we present the fabrication of metal particles in aqueous or organic media. Conclusion: In this review, we also describe numerous procedures for the functionalization of several anisotropic morphologies with silica, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM), as well as the fabrication of bimetallic core shell structures. We hope that this review will help the scientists to carry out several general routes for the synthesis of non-spherical particles to exploit their efficacy for wide applications. Keywords: Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), polymeric nanoparticles, shape control, one-pot synthesis, core-shell structure, bimetallic nanoparticles, crystallographic facets.