Synthesis and applications of porous triangular Au-Ag-Ag2S bimetal-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures

Abstract

Hybrid nanostructures comprising plasmonic noble metal and semiconductor have attracted attention owing to their novel properties and potential applications. However, the facile synthesis of these hybrid nanostructures with well-defined heterostructures and high porosity still remains challenging. Herein, we report a facile method for preparing porous triangular Au-Ag-Ag2S bimetal-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures. Following the selective etching of Ag in the Ag-Ag2S hybrid nanostructures, Au was deposited in a controlled manner. Using triangular Ag-Ag2S hybrid nanoplates with new heterostructures as templates and introducing an additional reducing agent in the galvanic replacement reaction with HAuCl4, the prepared Au-Ag-Ag2S had a porous structure, with plasmonic nanocavities on their surfaces and high absorbance in the visible and near-infrared regions. These hybrid nanostructures exhibited enhanced catalytic performance and very high photothermal conversion properties.