Issue 9, 2011

In situtransmission electron microscopy of solid–liquid phase transition of silica encapsulated bismuthnanoparticles

Abstract

The solid–liquid phase transition of silica encapsulated bismuth nanoparticles was studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nanoparticles were prepared by a two-step chemical synthesis process involving thermal decomposition of organometallic precursors for nucleating bismuth and a sol–gel process for growing silica. The microstructural and chemical analyses of the nanoparticles were performed using high-resolution TEM, Z-contrast imaging, focused ion beam milling, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. Solid–liquid–solid phase transitions of the nanoparticles were directly recorded by electron diffractions and TEM images. The silica encapsulation of the nanoparticles prevented agglomeration and allowed particles to preserve their original volume upon melting, which is desirable for applications of phase change nanoparticles with consistently repeatable thermal properties.

Graphical abstract: In situ transmission electron microscopy of solid–liquid phase transition of silica encapsulated bismuth nanoparticles

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Apr 2011
Accepted
05 Jun 2011
First published
28 Jul 2011

Nanoscale, 2011,3, 3700-3704

In situ transmission electron microscopy of solid–liquid phase transition of silica encapsulated bismuth nanoparticles

J. Hu, Y. Hong, C. Muratore, M. Su and A. A. Voevodin, Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 3700 DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10394F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements