In-situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy investigation on oriented attachment of gold nanoparticles

Chao Zhu, Suxia Liang, Erhong Song, Yuanjun Zhou, Wen Wang, Feng Shan, Yantao Shi, Ce Hao, Kuibo Yin, Tong Zhang, Jianjun Liu, Haimei Zheng () and Litao Sun ()
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Chao Zhu: Southeast University
Suxia Liang: Dalian University of Technology
Erhong Song: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yuanjun Zhou: The State University of New Jersey
Wen Wang: Southeast University
Feng Shan: Southeast University
Yantao Shi: Dalian University of Technology
Ce Hao: Dalian University of Technology
Kuibo Yin: Southeast University
Tong Zhang: Southeast University
Jianjun Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haimei Zheng: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Litao Sun: Southeast University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Inside a liquid solution, oriented attachment (OA) is now recognized to be as important a pathway to crystal growth as other, more conventional growth mechanisms. However, the driving force that controls the occurrence of OA is still poorly understood. Here, using in-situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate the ligand-controlled OA of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles at atomic resolution. Our data reveal that particle pairs rotate randomly at a separation distance greater than twice the layer thickness of adsorbed ligands. In contrast, when the particles get closer, their ligands overlap and guide the rotation into a directional mode until they share a common {111} orientation, when a sudden contact occurs accompanied by the simultaneous expulsion of the ligands on this surface. First-principle calculations confirm that the lower ligand binding energy on {111} surfaces is the intrinsic reason for the preferential attachment at this facet, rather than on other low-index facets.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02925-6

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