Scientific Achievement
Users have grown core-shell nanoparticles that were shown at the Molecular Foundry to have uniform size and with coherent grain boundaries between the core and the shell materials despite significant lattice mismatch.
Significance and Impact
Atomic control of topological defects associated with grain boundaries enables the production of nanocrystalline materials with precise electrical, optical, magnetic, mechanical and chemical properties.
Research Details
- The research team identified four design principles that govern the production of highly-ordered multigrain nanostructures: the shape of the substrate nanocrystal; the size of the substrate; the symmetry between the overgrowth phase and the substrate; and the surface energy of the shell.
- Through the high-resolution TEM data analysis performed at the Molecular Foundry, the team demonstrated that they can produce a range of multigrain nanocrystals containing distinct GB defects.
