The first direct observations of how facets form and develop on platinum nanocubes point the way towards more sophisticated and effective nanocrystal design and reveal that a nearly 150 year-old scientific law describing crystal growth breaks down at the nanoscale.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers used several highly sophisticated transmission electron microscopes at NCEM through a user project, as well as an advanced high-resolution, fast-detection camera, to capture the physical mechanisms that control the evolution of facets – flat faces – on the surfaces of platinum nanocubes formed in liquids. Understanding how facets develop on a nanocrystal is critical to controlling the crystal’s geometric shape, which in turn is critical to controlling the crystal’s chemical and electronic properties.
