Bimetallic nanostructures with magnetic and noble metals and their physicochemical applications

Bimetallic nanomaterials consisting of magnetic metals and noble metals have attracted much interest for their promising potentials in fields such as magnetic sensors, catalysts, optical detection and biomedical applications. Bimetallic nanomaterials synthesized by wet-chemical methods with different architectures including nanoparticles, nanowires or nanotubes and their assemblies are summarized in this review. The particular properties of bimetallic nanomaterials, especially their magnetic, catalytic and optical properties, are presented. The advance in electron microscopy makes it possible to understand the nanostructural materials at much higher level than before, which helps to disclose the relationship between the microstructures and properties qualitatively and quantitatively.