Synthesis of silver nanotriangles with tunable edge length: a promising candidate for light harvesting purposes within visible and near–infrared ranges

In this study, we could successfully tune the band gap of silver nanotriangles in the range of 1.2–2.8 eV; this tunable band gap was achieved by controlling the edge length of silver nanotriangles in the range of 10–100 nm during a facile synthesis process. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first report of such facile size-controlled synthesis process of nanostructured materials for light harvesting purposes. The results of finite element analysis also confirmed that the out–plane quadrupole resonance of triangular nanostructures can enhance the electromagnetic field up to 20 times higher than the incident field. The higher multipole resonance modes of triangular nanostructures, in the size range of 10–100 nm, can fully cover the spectral range from 300–1000 nm with the ability to harvest light in ultraviolet, visible and near–infrared ranges. (paper)