Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Reversible, surface-controlled structure transformation in nanoparticles induced by an aggregation state.

Feng Huang1, Benjamin Gilbert, Hengzhong Zhang

  • 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-4767, USA. fhuang@eps.berkeley.edu

Physical Review Letters
|June 1, 2004
PubMed
Summary

The structure of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles changes with aggregation. Reversible structural switching between distorted and crystalline states is possible by altering particle aggregation, indicating low energy barriers for transformation.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Enamel nanocrystal misorientation increased with meat-eating and agriculture.

Nature·2026
Same author

Chromium-for-Aluminum Substitution in Synthetic Serpentine.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Pyrite (001) Interface Chemistry is Controlled by a Sulfoxy Termination.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

Depth of nutrient uptake by deep-rooted plants is regulated by water availability.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Vector diversity and malaria prevalence: global trends and local determinants.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025
Same author

Experimentally enhancing dispersal reveals the outsized importance of transient dynamics in a fluctuating environment.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Solid State Chemistry

Background:

  • The internal structure of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles deviates from bulk ZnS.
  • Nanoparticle structure is influenced by their aggregation state in suspension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between the aggregation state and the internal structure of 3 nm ZnS nanoparticles.
  • To explore the reversibility of structural transformations in ZnS nanoparticles.

Main Methods:

  • Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis.
  • Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to monitor aggregation state.
  • Molecular modeling to understand particle interactions.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Dispersed or weakly aggregated ZnS nanoparticles exhibit a more distorted structure compared to strongly aggregated ones.
  • Structural transformation between distorted and crystalline states is reversible, induced by changes in aggregation (e.g., slow drying, ultrasonic agitation).
  • Molecular modeling elucidated particle-particle interactions driving these structural changes.

Conclusions:

  • The aggregation state critically influences the internal structure of ZnS nanoparticles.
  • ZnS nanoparticle structural transformations are reversible and possess low activation energy.
  • Distorted nanoparticle structures are not permanently trapped in a metastable state.