Shape control of size-selected naked platinum nanocrystals.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34021147.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-23305-7 and PMC identifier 8139959.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Controlled growth of far-from-equilibrium-shaped nanoparticles with size selection is essential for the exploration of their unique physical and chemical properties. Shape control by wet-chemistry preparation methods produces surfactant-covered surfaces with limited understanding due to the complexity of the processes involved. Here, we report the controlled production and transformation of octahedra to tetrahedra of size-selected platinum nanocrystals with clean surfaces in an inert gas environment. Molecular dynamics simulations of the growth reveal the key symmetry-breaking atomic mechanism for this autocatalytic shape transformation, confirming the experimental conditions required. In-situ heating experiments demonstrate the relative stability of both octahedral and tetrahedral Pt nanocrystals at least up to 700 °C and that the extended surface diffusion at higher temperature transforms the nanocrystals into equilibrium shape.