Issue 23, 2016

“Hot spots” growth on single nanowire controlled by electric charge

Abstract

“Hot spots” – a kind of highly active site, which are usually composed of some unique units, such as defects, interfaces, catalyst particles or special structures – can determine the performance of nanomaterials. In this paper, we study a model system, i.e. “hot spots” on a single Ag nanowire in the galvanic replacement reaction (GRR), by dark-field microscopy. The research reveals that electric charge can be released by the formation reaction of AgCl, and consequently the electrochemical potential on Ag nanowire drops. The electric charge could induce the reduction of Ag+ to form the “hot spots” on the nanowire during the GRR. The appearance probability of “hot spots” is almost even along the Ag nanowire, while it is slightly lower near the two ends. The spatial distance between adjacent “hot spots” is also controlled by the charge, and obeys a model based on Boltzmann distribution. In addition, the distance distribution here has an advantage in electron transfer and energy saving. Therefore, it's necessary to consider the functions of electric charge during the synthesis or application of nanomaterials.

Graphical abstract: “Hot spots” growth on single nanowire controlled by electric charge

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Dec 2015
Accepted
22 May 2016
First published
23 May 2016

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 12029-12034

“Hot spots” growth on single nanowire controlled by electric charge

S. Xi, X. Liu, T. He, L. Tian, W. Wang, R. Sun, W. He, X. Zhang, J. Zhang, W. Ni and X. Zhou, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 12029 DOI: 10.1039/C5NR09074A

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