Element-specific anisotropic growth of shaped platinum alloy nanocrystals

Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 346 (6216) ◽  
pp. 1502-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Gan ◽  
Chunhua Cui ◽  
Marc Heggen ◽  
Fabio Dionigi ◽  
Stefan Rudi ◽  
...  

Morphological shape in chemistry and biology owes its existence to anisotropic growth and is closely coupled to distinct functionality. Although much is known about the principal growth mechanisms of monometallic shaped nanocrystals, the anisotropic growth of shaped alloy nanocrystals is still poorly understood. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we reveal an element-specific anisotropic growth mechanism of platinum (Pt) bimetallic nano-octahedra where compositional anisotropy couples to geometric anisotropy. A Pt-rich phase evolves into precursor nanohexapods, followed by a slower step-induced deposition of an M-rich (M = Ni, Co, etc.) phase at the concave hexapod surface forming the octahedral facets. Our finding explains earlier reports on unusual compositional segregations and chemical degradation pathways of bimetallic polyhedral catalysts and may aid rational synthesis of shaped alloy catalysts with desired compositional patterns and properties.

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2261-2265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Schmidt ◽  
Young-Woo Ok ◽  
Dmitri O. Klenov ◽  
Jiwei Lu ◽  
Sean P. Keane ◽  
...  

The microstructure and orientation relationships of epitaxial (111)-oriented SrTiO3 thin films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on epitaxial (111)-oriented Pt/Ti electrodes on sapphire were investigated using x-ray diffraction, conventional and scanning transmission electron microscopy. We show that the epitaxial growth of (111)-oriented SrTiO3 films was promoted by thin Ti adhesion layers underneath the Pt electrode. The SrTiO3 films nucleated with two twin-related orientation variants, rotated by 180° about the 〈111〉 surface normal. The twin boundaries were oriented approximately normal to the film plane, but no strong preference for a specific boundary plane was observed. Growth mechanisms and the relationships to the dielectric properties are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 2111-2119
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Liu ◽  
Xiaowen Zhan ◽  
Zachary D. Hood ◽  
Wangda Li ◽  
Donovan N. Leonard ◽  
...  

Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals the initiation and progression mechanism of microcracks and voids in LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) cathodes upon extended charge/discharge cycles.


Author(s):  
J. M. Cowley

The comparison of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) can best be made by means of the Reciprocity Theorem of wave optics. In Fig. 1 the intensity measured at a point A’ in the CTEM image due to emission from a point B’ in the electron source is equated to the intensity at a point of the detector, B, due to emission from a point A In the source In the STEM. On this basis it can be demonstrated that contrast effects In the two types of instrument will be similar. The reciprocity relationship can be carried further to include the Instrument design and experimental procedures required to obtain particular types of information. For any. mode of operation providing particular information with one type of microscope, the analagous type of operation giving the same information can be postulated for the other type of microscope. Then the choice between the two types of instrument depends on the practical convenience for obtaining the required Information.


Author(s):  
J. M. Cowley ◽  
R. Glaisher ◽  
J. A. Lin ◽  
H.-J. Ou

Some of the most important applications of STEM depend on the variety of imaging and diffraction made possible by the versatility of the detector system and the serial nature, of the image acquisition. A special detector system, previously described, has been added to our STEM instrument to allow us to take full advantage of this versatility. In this, the diffraction pattern in the detector plane may be formed on either of two phosphor screens, one with P47 (very fast) phosphor and the other with P20 (high efficiency) phosphor. The light from the phosphor is conveyed through a fiber-optic rod to an image intensifier and TV system and may be photographed, recorded on videotape, or stored digitally on a frame store. The P47 screen has a hole through it to allow electrons to enter a Gatan EELS spectrometer. Recently a modified SEM detector has been added so that high resolution (10Å) imaging with secondary electrons may be used in conjunction with other modes.


Author(s):  
F. Khoury ◽  
L. H. Bolz

The lateral growth habits and non-planar conformations of polyethylene crystals grown from dilute solutions (<0.1% wt./vol.) are known to vary depending on the crystallization temperature.1-3 With the notable exception of a study by Keith2, most previous studies have been limited to crystals grown at <95°C. The trend in the change of the lateral growth habit of the crystals with increasing crystallization temperature (other factors remaining equal, i.e. polymer mol. wt. and concentration, solvent) is illustrated in Fig.l. The lateral growth faces in the lozenge shaped type of crystal (Fig.la) which is formed at lower temperatures are {110}. Crystals formed at higher temperatures exhibit 'truncated' profiles (Figs. lb,c) and are bound laterally by (110) and (200} growth faces. In addition, the shape of the latter crystals is all the more truncated (Fig.lc), and hence all the more elongated parallel to the b-axis, the higher the crystallization temperature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tushar Gupta ◽  
Kenan Elibol ◽  
Stefan Hummel ◽  
Michael Stöger-Pollach ◽  
Clemens Mangler ◽  
...  

AbstractTwo-dimensional (2D) antimony (Sb, “antimonene”) is of interest in electronics and batteries. Sb however exhibits a large allotropic structural diversity, which is also influenced by its support. Thus, Sb heterostructure formation is key in 2D Sb integration. Particularly, 2D Sb/graphene interfaces are important. We thus study here few-layered 2D Sb/graphene heterostructures with atomic resolution (scanning) transmission electron microscopy. We find two Sb morphologies to coexist: first, a 2D morphology of layered β-Sb with β-Sb(001)||graphene(001) texture. Second, one-dimensional Sb nanowires which can be matched to β-Sb[2-21]⊥graphene(001) and are closely related to cubic Sb(001)||graphene(001). Importantly, both Sb morphologies show rotational van-der-Waals epitaxy with graphene. Both are resilient against oxidation, although superficial Sb-oxide formation merits consideration, including epitaxial Sb2O3(111)/β-Sb(001) heterostructures. Exact Sb growth behavior depends on processing and substrate properties including, notably, the support underneath the graphene. Our work elucidates the rich phase and epitaxy landscape in 2D Sb and 2D Sb/graphene heterostructures.


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