Direct observation of picosecond melting and disintegration of metallic nanoparticles

Yungok Ihm, Do Hyung Cho, Daeho Sung, Daewoong Nam, Chulho Jung, Takahiro Sato, Sangsoo Kim, Jaehyun Park, Sunam Kim, Marcus Gallagher-Jones, Yoonhee Kim, Rui Xu, Shigeki Owada, Ji Hoon Shim, Kensuke Tono, Makina Yabashi, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Jianwei Miao, Do Young Noh and Changyong Song ()
Additional contact information
Yungok Ihm: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Do Hyung Cho: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Daeho Sung: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Daewoong Nam: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Chulho Jung: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Takahiro Sato: RIKEN SPring-8 Center
Sangsoo Kim: Pohang Accelerator Laboratory
Jaehyun Park: Pohang Accelerator Laboratory
Sunam Kim: Pohang Accelerator Laboratory
Marcus Gallagher-Jones: University of California
Yoonhee Kim: Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
Rui Xu: University of California
Shigeki Owada: RIKEN SPring-8 Center
Ji Hoon Shim: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Kensuke Tono: Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute
Makina Yabashi: RIKEN SPring-8 Center
Tetsuya Ishikawa: RIKEN SPring-8 Center
Jianwei Miao: University of California
Do Young Noh: Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
Changyong Song: Pohang University of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Despite more than a century of study, the fundamental mechanisms behind solid melting remain elusive at the nanoscale. Ultrafast phenomena in materials irradiated by intense femtosecond laser pulses have revived the interest in unveiling the puzzling processes of melting transitions. However, direct experimental validation of various microscopic models is limited due to the difficulty of imaging the internal structures of materials undergoing ultrafast and irreversible transitions. Here we overcome this challenge through time-resolved single-shot diffractive imaging using X-ray free electron laser pulses. Images of single Au nanoparticles show heterogeneous melting at the surface followed by density fluctuation deep inside the particle, which is directionally correlated to the polarization of the pumping laser. Observation of this directionality links the non-thermal electronic excitation to the thermal lattice melting, which is further verified by molecular dynamics simulations. This work provides direct evidence to the understanding of irreversible melting with an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10328-4

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