Micro and nanostructures of Au and Ag : unusual morphologies,crystal structures and properties

Abstract

In material science, size of the systeM.S. is an important parameter, and commonly used terM.S. are nano, micro, meso and macro where the characteristic length is 10-9, 10-6, 10-4 and 10-2 meters respectively. In some sense, every macroscopic system is made of micro/nanosysteM.S.. In daily life, we come across many such examples. For instance, size of a butterfly is about 4 cm and the wings comprise of micron structures separated by a submicron gap, and each microstructure is made of nanostructures (Figs. 1.1a and b) (1). Similarly talcum powder, used in cosmetics is made of fine nanocrystallites (Figs. 1.1c and d) (2).