Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
A Technique to Functionalize and Self-assemble Macroscopic Nanoparticle-ligand Monolayer Films onto Template-free Substrates
Published on: May 9, 2014
Formation of self-assembled nanoplates via hydrogenation of epitaxial Pd film
Brad M Boyerinas1, Alexander L Roytburd, Hugh A Bruck
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland , 2181 Glenn L. Martin Hall, Bldg 088, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States.
Abstract:
Understanding the relationship between the uptake of hydrogen gas and hydride phase formation and evolution in metal solids is a phenomenon of significant technological importance due to current development of hydrogen storage devices, sensors, and membranes. The performance of these devices is degraded by structural defect formation during incoherent metal-hydride phase transformation. In this work, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy reveal formation of nanoplates along the ⟨111⟩ directions in a (111) epitaxial Pd film. These nanostructures are observed after high temperature and high pressure gas phase hydrogenation and cooling in ambient temperature. Transmission electron microsocpy (TEM) analysis of a posthydrogenated film did not show considerable plastic deformation. The size of the nanoplates increased with increasing Pd film thickness. A formation mechanism of nanoplates is proposed: cooling the sample reactor in ambient temperature after hydrogen loading induced formation of coherent or partially coherent β-phase plates along {100} planes corresponding to minimum elastic energy of interaction between metal and hydride phases.
