Liquid Active Surface Growth: Explaining the Symmetry Breaking in Liquid Nanoparticles

In our previous studies of metal nanoparticle growth, we have come to realize that the dynamic interplay between ligand passivation and metal deposition, as opposed to static facet control, is responsible for focused growth at a few active sites. In this work, we show that the same underlying principle could be applied to a very different system and explain the abnormal growth modes of liquid nanoparticles. In such a liquid active surface growth (LASG), the interplay between droplet expansion and simultaneous silica shell encapsulation gives rise to an active site of growth, which eventually becomes the long necks of nanobottles. For this synthetic control, the imbalance of the said interplay is the critical factor, as demonstrated by carefully designed control experiments. Thus, LASG provides a coherent mechanism that encompasses a wide range of liquid-derived nanostructures, including hollow nanospheres, asymmetric teardrops, and hollow nanobottles with an opening. By adapting nanosynthesis techniques from the solid to liquid realm, we believe that LASG would provide deeper insights and more sophisticated synthetic controls.