Cover Picture: Surfactantless Synthesis of Silver Nanoplates and Their Application in SERS (Small 11/2007)

The cover picture shows an assembly of Ag nanoplates grown directly on an n-type GaAs wafer via a simple reaction between an aqueous solution of AgNO3 and GaAs at room temperature. These nanoplates protrude out of the surface of the substrate and their surfaces are clean in chemical composition and rough in morphology. These characteristics enable the metal–semiconductor composite system to expose maximum surface areas of both the Ag nanoplates and the GaAs substrate, leading to a potential increase of the efficiency of photochemical processes. For more information, please read the Full Paper “Surfactantless Synthesis of Silver Nanoplates and their Application in SERS” by Y. Sun and G. P. Wiederrecht beginning on page 1964.