Diffusion and seed shape: intertwined parameters in the synthesis of branched metal nanostructures.

Branched nanocrystals display interesting optical and catalytic properties on account of their high surface areas and tips with small radii of curvatures. However, many synthetic routes toward branched nanocrystals result in inhomogeneous samples on account of asymmetric branching. Seed-mediated coreduction is a recently developed route to symmetrically branched nanocrystals where the symmetry of the seeds is transferred to the final stellated morphologies.