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Multistage Transformation and Lattice Fluctuation at AgCl-Ag Interface.
Jingshan S Du1,2,3,4, Jungwon Park1,5,6, QHwan Kim7
1School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|November 18, 2017
Summary
This study reveals lattice fluctuations during silver chloride reduction to silver. Mass transport of silver species drives steady-state growth and lattice compression in this solid-state transformation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid-State Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Solid-state transformations involve volume changes and structural evolution at interfaces, often leading to mechanical expansion/compression.
- Simultaneously monitoring these expansion/compression dynamics during transformations is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reduction transformation at the silver chloride (AgCl) to silver (Ag) interface.
- To correlate lattice fluctuations with structural evolution and understand the underlying mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe the AgCl-Ag interface transformation.
- In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to monitor AgCl decomposition topography and structure.
Main Results:
- Three distinct stages of lattice fluctuations were identified and linked to structural changes.
- A quasi-layered growth mode of Ag was observed, confined by AgCl lattices, in both vertical and lateral directions.
- Planar defect development and AgCl depletion correlated with lattice compression and relaxation, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Silver species originate from both the surface and interior of AgCl, migrating to the interface.
- This mass transport mechanism likely facilitates the steady-state growth and lattice compression observed in the volume-shrinking transformation.
