High resolution transmission electron microscopy in situ investigation into the spontaneous coalescence of gold nanoparticles at room temperature

Abstract

The coalescence process of two gold nanoparticles was observed in situ by High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). The observations reveal that the gold nanoparticles coalesced into one at room temperature. The HRTEM images show the relative rotation of the gold nanoparticles in order to align their crystal orientations for the attachment, which is the critical step of the coalescence and followed by the diffusion-mediated reshaping process.