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Studying the Effects of Temperature on the Nucleation and Growth of Nanoparticles by Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy
Published on: February 17, 2021
Transformations of gold nanoparticles investigated using variable temperature high-resolution transmission electron
N P Young1, M A van Huis, H W Zandbergen
1Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH, UK.
Ultramicroscopy
|January 20, 2010
Summary
Advanced in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals gold nanoparticles
Area of Science:
- Nanomaterials science and catalysis.
- Materials science and condensed matter physics.
Background:
- Understanding the behavior of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is crucial for their application in catalysis.
- Advanced in-situ specimen holders for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) enable real-time observation of nanomaterials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural transformations of gold nanoparticles at variable temperatures using in-situ TEM.
- To correlate observed structural changes with specimen temperature and validate theoretical calculations and phase diagrams.
Main Methods:
- Variable temperature transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments.
- In-situ annealing of gold nanoparticles within the TEM.
- Correlation of observed morphologies with specimen temperature and nanoscale phase diagrams.
Main Results:
- A transformation to a decahedral morphology was observed for 5-12 nm gold nanoparticles, irrespective of initial structure.
- Decahedral morphology was found to be stable at room temperature after in-situ annealing, confirming it as the equilibrium structure.
- Low-temperature transitions and surface roughening were observed and correlated with a nanoscale phase diagram. Evidence for co-existing solid and liquid phases at high temperatures was also found.
Conclusions:
- The decahedral morphology represents the equilibrium structure for gold nanoparticles in the studied size range.
- The study provides experimental validation for theoretical calculations and nanoscale phase diagrams of gold nanoparticles.
- These findings enhance the understanding of the structure-property relationships critical for catalytic applications of gold nanoparticles.
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