A welding phenomenon of dissimilar nanoparticles in dispersion

The oriented attachment of small nanoparticles (NPs) is recognized as an important mechanism involved in the growth of inorganic nanocrystals. However, non-oriented attachment of dissimilar NPs has been rarely observed in dispersion. This communication reports a welding phenomenon occurred directly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2019-01, Vol.10 (1), p.219-8, Article 219
Main Authors: Huang, Zhiqi, Zhao, Zhi-Jian, Zhang, Qian, Han, Lili, Jiang, Xiumei, Li, Chao, Cardenas, Maria T. Perez, Huang, Peng, Yin, Jun-Jie, Luo, Jun, Gong, Jinlong, Nie, Zhihong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
147/143
639/301/357/354
639/301/357/551
Chalcogenides
Electron paramagnetic resonance
Electron spin
Electron spin resonance
Fabrication
Humanities and Social Sciences
Molecular dynamics
multidisciplinary
Nanocrystals
Nanoparticles
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Spin resonance
Welding
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Summary:The oriented attachment of small nanoparticles (NPs) is recognized as an important mechanism involved in the growth of inorganic nanocrystals. However, non-oriented attachment of dissimilar NPs has been rarely observed in dispersion. This communication reports a welding phenomenon occurred directly between as-synthesized dispersions of single-component Au and chalcogenide NPs, which leads to the formation of asymmetric Au-chalcogenide hybrid NPs (HNPs). The welding of dissimilar NPs in dispersion is mainly driven by the ligand desorption-induced conformal contact between NPs and the diffusion of Au into chalcogenide NPs. The welding process can occur between NPs with distinct shapes or different capping agents or in different solvent media. A two-step assembly-welding mechanism is proposed for this process, based on our in situ electron spin resonance measurements and ab initio molecular dynamics simulation. The understanding of NP welding in dispersion may lead to the development of unconventional synthetic tools for the fabrication of hybrid nanostructures with diverse applications. Solution-phase welding of nanoparticles to form larger structures typically requires that the particles are the same type, limiting the diversity of possible products. Here, the authors report a welding process between gold and chalcogenide nanoparticles in dispersion that leads to asymmetric hybrid nanoparticles with two distinct domains.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-018-08206-6