Song Miao, Zhang Dingri, Leng Dan, Lee Jaewon, Yang Ziang, Chen Jiaxuan, Li Dan, Wang Lei, Zhou Gang, Yang Rui, Zhou Kechao
State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250100, China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 25;15(1):9217. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53501-0.
The twin boundaries and inherent lattice strain of five-fold twin (5-FT) structures offer a promising and innovative approach to tune nanocrystal configurations and properties, enriching nanomaterial performance. However, a comprehensive understanding of the nonclassical growth models governing 5-FT nanocrystals remains elusive, largely due to the constraints of their small thermodynamically stable size and complex twin configurations. Here, we conducted in situ investigations to elucidate the atomic-scale mechanisms driving size-dependent and twin configuration-related aggregation phenomena between 5-FT and other nanoparticles at the atomic scale. Our results reveal that surface diffusion significantly shapes the morphology of aggregated nanoparticles, promoting the symmetrical formation of 5-FT, especially in smaller nanoparticles. Moreover, the inherent structural characteristics of 5-FT mitigate the dominance of surface diffusion in its morphological evolution, retarding the aggregation evolution process and fostering intricate twin structures. These findings contribute to advancing our capacity to manipulate the configuration of twinned particles, enabling more predictable synthesis of functional nanomaterials for advanced engineering applications.
五次孪晶（5-FT）结构的孪晶界和固有晶格应变提供了一种有前景的创新方法来调控纳米晶体的构型和性质，丰富了纳米材料的性能。然而，对控制5-FT纳米晶体的非经典生长模型的全面理解仍然难以捉摸，这主要是由于其热力学稳定尺寸小和孪晶构型复杂的限制。在此，我们进行了原位研究，以阐明在原子尺度上驱动5-FT与其他纳米颗粒之间尺寸依赖性和孪晶构型相关聚集现象的原子尺度机制。我们的结果表明，表面扩散显著塑造了聚集纳米颗粒的形态，促进了5-FT的对称形成，特别是在较小的纳米颗粒中。此外，5-FT的固有结构特征减轻了表面扩散在其形态演变中的主导作用，延缓了聚集演变过程并促进了复杂孪晶结构的形成。这些发现有助于提高我们操纵孪晶颗粒构型的能力，从而能够更可预测地合成用于先进工程应用的功能性纳米材料。
