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Updated: May 15, 2026

Gyroid Nickel Nanostructures from Diblock Copolymer Supramolecules
Published on: April 28, 2014
Can polymorphism be used to form branched metal nanostructures?
Alec P LaGrow1, Soshan Cheong, John Watt
1School of Chemical and Physical Sciences and The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Researchers developed a new method to create branched nickel nanoparticles with unique alternating crystal structures. This kinetic synthesis offers control over nanoparticle shape and properties for technological applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Crystallography
Background:
- Branched metal nanostructures possess unique size- and shape-dependent properties.
- These properties make them important for various technological applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a kinetically controlled synthesis method for branched nickel nanoparticles.
- To utilize polymorphism in the synthesis process.
Main Methods:
- Kinetically controlled synthesis.
- Exploitation of polymorphism in nickel nanoparticle formation.
Main Results:
- Successfully produced branched nickel nanoparticles.
- The nanoparticles feature a face-centred cubic (fcc) core.
- The arms consist of alternating face-centred cubic (fcc) and hexagonal close-packed (hcp) nickel phases.
Conclusions:
- The presented synthesis method allows for controlled production of complex branched nanostructures.
- The resulting nickel nanoparticles exhibit a unique multi-phase structure with potential for advanced applications.
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