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Chen A, Dissanayake TU, Sun J, Woehl TJ. Unraveling chemical processes during nanoparticle synthesis with liquid phase electron microscopy and correlative techniques. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:12830-12846. [PMID: 37807847 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc03723a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM) has enabled unprecedented direct real time imaging of physicochemical processes during solution phase synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. LPTEM primarily provides images of nanometer scale, and sometimes atomic scale, metal nanoparticle crystallization processes, but provides little chemical information about organic surface ligands, metal-ligand complexes and reaction intermediates, and redox reactions. Likewise, complex electron beam-solvent interactions during LPTEM make it challenging to pinpoint the chemical processes, some involving exotic highly reactive radicals, impacting nanoparticle formation. Pairing LPTEM with correlative solution synthesis, ex situ chemical analysis, and theoretical modeling represents a powerful approach to gain a holistic understanding of the chemical processes involved in nanoparticle synthesis. In this feature article, we review recent work by our lab and others that has focused on elucidating chemical processes during nanoparticle synthesis using LPTEM and correlative chemical characterization and modeling, including mass and optical spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy, solution chemistry, and reaction kinetic modeling. In particular, we show how these approaches enable investigating redox chemistry during LPTEM, polymeric and organic capping ligands, metal deposition mechanisms on plasmonic nanoparticles, metal clusters and complexes, and multimetallic nanoparticle formation. Future avenues of research are discussed, including moving beyond electron beam induced nanoparticle formation by using light and thermal stimuli during LPTEM. We discuss prospects for real time LPTEM imaging and online chemical analysis of reaction intermediates using microfluidic flow reactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Thilini U Dissanayake
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Jiayue Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Taylor J Woehl
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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Zhu K, Su H. Traversing the nucleation-growth landscape through heterogeneous random walks. Phys Rev E 2023; 107:064110. [PMID: 37464641 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.107.064110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
The nucleation-growth process is a crucial component of crystallization. While previous theoretical models have focused on nucleation events and postnucleation growth, such as the classical nucleation theory and Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner model, recent advancements in experiments and simulations have highlighted the inability of classical models to explain the transient dynamics during the early development of nanocrystals. To address these shortcomings, we present a model that describes the nucleation-growth dynamics of individual nanocrystals as a series of reversible chain reactions, with the free energy landscape extended to include activation-adsorption-relaxation reaction pathways. By using the Monte Carlo method based on the transition state theory, we simulate the crystallization dynamics. We derive a Fokker-Planck formalism from the master equation to describe the nucleation-growth process as a heterogeneous random walk on the extended free energy landscape with activated states. Our results reveal the transient quasiequilibrium of the prenucleation stage before nucleation starts, and we identify a postnucleation crossover regime where the dynamic growth exponents asymptotically converge towards classical limits. Additionally, we generalize the power laws to address the dimension and scale effects for the growth of large crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaicheng Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Haibin Su
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Futian, Shenzhen 518048, China
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3
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Afshani J, Perez Mellor A, Bürgi T, Hagemann H. Crystallization of SrAl 12O 19 Nanocrystals from Amorphous Submicrometer Particles. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2022; 126:19336-19345. [PMID: 36425001 PMCID: PMC9677969 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c04284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Advanced instrumentation and modern analysis tools such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have led to phenomenal progress in understanding crystallization, in particular from solution, which is a prerequisite for the design-based preparation of a target crystal. Nevertheless, little has been understood about the crystallization pathway under high-temperature annealing (HTA) conditions. Metal oxide crystals are prominent materials that are usually obtained via HTA. Despite the widespread application of hydro-/solvothermal methods on the laboratory scale, HTA is the preferred method in many industries for the mass production of metal oxide crystals. However, poor control over the morphology and grain sizes of these crystals under extreme HTA conditions limits their applications. Here, applying ex-situ TEM, the transformation of a single amorphous spherical submicrometer precursor particle of SrAl12O19 (SA6) at 1150 °C toward a nanosized thermodynamically favored hexagonal crystal is explored. It is illustrated in real space, step by step, how both kinetic and thermodynamic factors contribute to this faceting and morphology evolution. These results demonstrate a nonclassical nucleation and growth process consisting of densification, crystallite domain formation, oriented attachment, surface nucleation, 2-dimensional (2D) growth, and surface diffusion of the atoms to eventually result in the formation of a hexagonal platelet crystal. The TEM images further delineate a parent crystal driving the crystal lattice and morphological orientation of a network of interconnected platelets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jafar Afshani
- Département de Chimie Physique, Université de Genève, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, Genève1211, Switzerland
| | - Ariel Perez Mellor
- Département de Chimie Physique, Université de Genève, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, Genève1211, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Bürgi
- Département de Chimie Physique, Université de Genève, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, Genève1211, Switzerland
| | - Hans Hagemann
- Département de Chimie Physique, Université de Genève, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, Genève1211, Switzerland
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Dachraoui W, Bodnarchuk MI, Erni R. Direct Imaging of the Atomic Mechanisms Governing the Growth and Shape of Bimetallic Pt-Pd Nanocrystals by In Situ Liquid Cell STEM. ACS NANO 2022; 16:14198-14209. [PMID: 36036793 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c04291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the atomic mechanisms governing the growth of bimetallic nanoalloys is of great interest for scientists. As a promising material for photocatalysis applications, Pt-Pd bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) have been in the spotlight for many years due to their catalytic performance, which is typically superior to that of pure Pt NPs. In this work, we use in situ liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy to track the exact atomic mechanisms governing the formation of bimetallic Pt-Pd NPs. We find that the formation process of the bimetallic Pt-Pd is divided into three stages. First, the nucleation and growth of ultrasmall primary nanoclusters are formed by the agglomeration of Pt and Pd atoms. Second, the primary nanoclusters are involved in a coalescence process to form two types of bigger agglomerates, namely, amorphous (a-NC) and crystalline (c-NC) nanoclusters. In the third stage, these clusters undergo a coalescence process leading to the formation of Pt-Pd NPs, while, in parallel, monomer attachment continues. We found that the third stage contains three types of coalescence processes, a-NC-a-NC, a-NC-c-NC, and c-NC-c-NC coalescence, which eventually give rise to crystalline bimetallic alloys. However, each type of coalescence gave distinct NPs in terms of shape and defects. Our results thus reveal the exact growth mechanisms of bimetallic alloys on the atomic scale, unravel the origin of their structure, and overall are of key interest to tailor the structure of bimetallic NPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid Dachraoui
- Electron Microscopy Center, Empa─Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Maryna I Bodnarchuk
- Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa─Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Erni
- Electron Microscopy Center, Empa─Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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Zhao H, Zhu Y, Ye H, He Y, Li H, Sun Y, Yang F, Wang R. Atomic-Scale Structure Dynamics of Nanocrystals Revealed By In Situ and Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022:e2206911. [PMID: 36153832 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202206911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nanocrystals are of great importance in material sciences and industry. Engineering nanocrystals with desired structures and properties is no doubt one of the most important challenges in the field, which requires deep insight into atomic-scale dynamics of nanocrystals during the process. The rapid developments of in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), especially environmental TEM, reveal insights into nanocrystals to digest. According to the considerable progress based on in situ electron microscopy, a comprehensive review on nanocrystal dynamics from three aspects: nucleation and growth, structure evolution, and dynamics in reaction conditions are given. In the nucleation and growth part, existing nucleation theories and growth pathways are organized based on liquid and gas-solid phases. In the structure evolution part, the focus is on in-depth mechanistic understanding of the evolution, including defects, phase, and disorder/order transitions. In the part of dynamics in reaction conditions, solid-solid and gas-solid interfaces of nanocrystals in atmosphere are discussed and the structure-property relationship is correlated. Even though impressive progress is made, additional efforts are required to develop the integrated and operando TEM methodologies for unveiling nanocrystal dynamics with high spatial, energy, and temporal resolutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haofei Zhao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Magneto-Photoelectrical Composite and Interface Science, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yuchen Zhu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Magneto-Photoelectrical Composite and Interface Science, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Huanyu Ye
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Magneto-Photoelectrical Composite and Interface Science, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yang He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Hao Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Magneto-Photoelectrical Composite and Interface Science, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yifei Sun
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Magneto-Photoelectrical Composite and Interface Science, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Feng Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Rongming Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Magneto-Photoelectrical Composite and Interface Science, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
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Ortiz Peña N, Ihiawakrim D, Creţu S, Cotin G, Kiefer C, Begin-Colin S, Sanchez C, Portehault D, Ersen O. In situ liquid transmission electron microscopy reveals self-assembly-driven nucleation in radiolytic synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles in organic media. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:10950-10957. [PMID: 35860928 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr01511k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We have investigated the early stages of the formation of iron oxide nanoparticles from iron stearate precursors in the presence of sodium stearate in an organic solvent by in situ liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (IL-TEM). Before nucleation, we have evidenced the spontaneous formation of vesicular assemblies made of iron polycation-based precursors sandwiched between stearate layers. Nucleation of iron oxide nanoparticles occurs within the walls of the vesicles, which subsequently collapse upon the consumption of the iron precursors and the growth of the nanoparticles. We then evidenced that fine control of the electron dose, and therefore of the local concentration of reactive iron species in the vicinity of the nuclei, enables controlling crystal growth and selecting the morphology of the resulting iron oxide nanoparticles. Such a direct observation of the nucleation process templated by vesicular assemblies in a hydrophobic organic solvent sheds new light on the formation process of metal oxide nanoparticles and therefore opens ways for the synthesis of inorganic colloidal systems with tunable shape and size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaly Ortiz Peña
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Dris Ihiawakrim
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
| | - Sorina Creţu
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
| | - Geoffrey Cotin
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
| | - Céline Kiefer
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
| | - Sylvie Begin-Colin
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
| | - Clément Sanchez
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Collège de France, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (CMCP), 4 place Jussieu, F-75005, Paris, France
- University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies (USIAS), 67083 Strasbourg, France
| | - David Portehault
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Collège de France, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (CMCP), 4 place Jussieu, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Ovidiu Ersen
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, BP 43 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
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Abebe B, Tsegaye D, Ananda Murthy HC. Insight into nanocrystal synthesis: from precursor decomposition to combustion. RSC Adv 2022; 12:24374-24389. [PMID: 36128523 PMCID: PMC9425161 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra05222a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanotechnology-based synthesis of nanoscale materials has appealed to the attention of scientists in the modern scientific community. In the bottom-up approach, atoms start to aggregate/agglomerate and form nuclei within the minimum and maximum supersaturation range. Once nuclei are generated above the critical-free energy/radius, the growth is initiated by obeying the LaMar model with a slight extra simple growth by diffusion advancement. The in situ real-time liquid phase analysis using STEM, AFM, and XAS techniques is used to control precursor decomposition to the nanocrystal formation process and should be a non-stoppable technique. Solution combustion synthesis (SCS) is a time-/energy-efficient self-sustained process that produces mass-/ion transport active porous materials. SCS also permits the synthesis of evenly distributed-doped and hybrid-nanomaterials, which are beneficial in tuning crucial properties of the materials. The growth and development of nanocrystals, dehydrating the sol in the presence of a surfactant or/and fuel results in combustion once it arrives at the ignition temperature. Besides, the kinetic and thermodynamics controlled architecture-directing agent-assisted SCS offers colloidal nanocrystal framework formation, which is currently highly applicable for energy devices. This short review provides insightful information that adds to the existing nanocrystal synthesis process and solution combustion synthesis and recommends future directions in the field. The LaMar model visualizes the process of nanocrystal formation. The solution combustion synthesis approach is a noble methodology resulting in highly stable and ordered porous nanomaterials.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Buzuayehu Abebe
- Adama Science and Technology University, Department of Applied Chemistry, 1888, Adama, Ethiopia
| | - Dereje Tsegaye
- Adama Science and Technology University, Department of Applied Chemistry, 1888, Adama, Ethiopia
| | - H. C. Ananda Murthy
- Adama Science and Technology University, Department of Applied Chemistry, 1888, Adama, Ethiopia
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