In situ observation of oscillatory growth of bismuth nanoparticles

We study the growth of Bi nanoparticles in an engineered precursor-scarce environment in a liquid cell at an elevated temperature (180 °C) using transmission electron microscopy. Observation reveals dynamics of oscillatory growth of individual nanoparticles, pairwise Ostwald ripening and anti-Ostwald ripening and a global collective oscillation. The experimental results suggest a mass-transport zone is present around each particle, which couples to the observed growth kinetics. This study shed light on a new route for system engineering to reverse particle coursing by Ostwald ripening.