Issue 33, 2024

Insights into the nucleation and growth of BiOCl nanoparticles by in situ X-ray pair distribution function analysis and in situ liquid cell TEM

Abstract

The synthesis of bismuth oxyhalides as defined nanostructures is hindered by their fast nucleation and growth in aqueous solutions. Using our recently developed single-source precursor, the formation of bismuth oxychloride in such solutions can be slowed significantly. As reported herein, this advance enables BiOCl formation to be investigated by in situ X-ray total scattering and in situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy. In situ pair distribution function analysis of X-ray total scattering data reveals the local order of atomic structures throughout the synthesis, while in situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy allows for tracking the growth of individual nanoparticles. Through this work, the precursor complex is shown to give rise to BiOCl upon heating in solution without the observation of structurally distinct intermediates. The emerging nanoparticles have a widened interlayer spacing, which moderately decreases as the particles grow. Mechanistic insights into the formation of bismuth oxyhalide nanoparticles, including the absence of distinct intermediates within the available time resolution, will help facilitate future design of controlled BiOX nanostructures.

Graphical abstract: Insights into the nucleation and growth of BiOCl nanoparticles by in situ X-ray pair distribution function analysis and in situ liquid cell TEM

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Apr 2024
Accepted
09 Jul 2024
First published
19 Jul 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 15544-15557

Insights into the nucleation and growth of BiOCl nanoparticles by in situ X-ray pair distribution function analysis and in situ liquid cell TEM

M. N. Gordon, L. S. Junkers, J. S. Googasian, J. K. Mathiesen, X. Zhan, D. G. Morgan, K. M. Ø. Jensen and S. E. Skrabalak, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 15544 DOI: 10.1039/D4NR01749H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, 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 commercial 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