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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Published on: October 16, 2017

Tracking Nanoparticle Diffusion and Interaction during Self-Assembly in a Liquid Cell.

Alexander S Powers, Hong-Gang Liao¹, Shilpa N Raja¹

¹Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley, California 94720, United States.

|December 21, 2016

Summary

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Researchers quantified nanoparticle interactions using advanced imaging, revealing how anisotropic forces drive self-assembly into lattices. This study offers insights into nanoparticle dynamics and forces.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Physical Chemistry

Background:

Theoretical studies on nanoparticle self-assembly are abundant, but direct observation and quantification of individual nanoparticle interactions remain challenging.
Existing methods often lack the precision to capture dynamic assembly processes at the nanoscale.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and apply a custom image analysis method for precise tracking of nanoparticle movement.
To quantitatively study the energetics, stability, and forces governing nanoparticle self-assembly.
To elucidate the mechanisms driving the formation of nanoparticle lattices.

Main Methods:

Utilized liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) to obtain high-resolution image stacks.
Developed a custom image analysis technique for high-precision trajectory tracking of nanoparticles.

Keywords:

Nanocrystals Pt−Fe nanoparticles image analysis liquid cell TEM particle tracking self-assembly

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Analyzed velocity and diffusion measurements to determine inter-particle forces and physical properties.

Main Results:

Observed the self-assembly of Platinum-Iron (Pt-Fe) nanoparticles into a loosely packed hexagonal close-packed (hcp) lattice within minutes.
Quantitatively determined the magnitude of forces between individual nanoparticles.
Identified long-range anisotropic forces as the primary drivers for chain formation, followed by van der Waals interactions for lattice stabilization.

Conclusions:

The study successfully demonstrated a method for observing and quantifying dynamic nanoparticle self-assembly.
Anisotropic forces initiate chain formation, while short-range van der Waals forces drive the final lattice structure.
Provides experimental validation for theoretical models of nanoparticle interaction and assembly.