Fig. 8

Side length and normalized tip radius distribution of Au decahedra. a–c SEM images of the three different samples used (scale bar = 1 µm). The insets show the shape of the NPs. d SEM image of a Au decahedra from sample 3 and definition of side length and radius of tip curvature. For this particle, the side length is 85 nm and tip radius is 10 nm, yielding a 0.12 normalized tip radius. e Histogram of the side length distribution of the selected 128 NPs, where sample 1 had 53 NPs, sample 2 had 49 NPs, and sample 3 had 26 NPs. Samples 1 and 2 have similar side lengths; sample 3 is larger. f Histogram of the normalized tip radius distribution of the selected 128 NPs from the three different samples. Sample 3 has the lowest ratio (sharper tips), sample 2 has the highest ratio (rounder tips)