Description:

When the dimension of materials decreases to mesoscale (a few microns), their properties can change dramatically, depending on the boundary conditions imposed by the sample architecture including geometry, morphology, and hierarchical structures. Here it is shown that electrodeposition, a method for reducin materials from a solution onto a substrate, can provide a versatile pathway to tailor the architecture of mesostructures. Novel lead (Pb) structures ranging from nanowires, mesoparticles with octahedral, decahedral, and icosahedral shapes to porous nanowires, multipods, nanobrushes, and even snowflake-shaped structures were synthesized through systematically exploring electrodeposition parameters including reduction potentials, solution concentration, starting materials, supporting electrolytes, and surfactants.

In general, mesoparticles (icosahedron, decahedron, and octahedron in Figures a-c respectively) form at applied voltages close to the thermodynamic equilibrium potential, while nanowires (Figures d and e), and nanobrushes (Figures f) are obtained at high reduction potentials.

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