Atomic Structure and 3D Shape of a Multibranched Plasmonic Nanostar from a Single Spatially Resolved Electron Diffraction Map
Despite the interest in improving the sensitivity of optical sensors using plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) (rods, wires, and stars), the full structural characterization of complex shape nanostructures is challenging. Here, we derive from a single scanning transmission electron microscope diffraction map (4D-STEM) a detailed determination of both the 3D shape and atomic arrangement of an individual 6-branched AuAg nanostar (NS) with high-aspect-ratio legs. The NS core displays an icosahedral structure, and legs are decahedral rods attached along the 5-fold axes at the core apexes. The NS legs show an anomalous anisotropic spatial distribution (all close to a plane) due to an interplay between the icosahedral symmetry and the unzipping of the surfactant layer on the core. The results significantly improve our understanding of the star growth mechanism. This low dose diffraction mapping is promising for the atomic structure study of individual multidomain, multibranched, or multiphase NPs, even when constituted of beam-sensitive materials.
Authors
- Caterina Ducati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3366-6442)
- Leonardo M. Corrêa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0823-4085)
- Diego P. dos Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9468-7293)
- Kaleigh M. R. Scher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5786-2478)
- Laura Fabris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7089-5175)
- Simon M. Fairclough (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3781-8212)
- Supriya Atta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5489-268X)
- D. Ugarte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3332-9139)
Institutions
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Politecnico di Torino (IT)
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2024-09-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c05201
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.47
Funders
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Fundo de Apoio ao Ensino, à Pesquisa e Extensão, Universidade Estadual de Campinas