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Novel silica stabilization method for the analysis of fine nanocrystals using coherent X-ray diffraction imaging

Monteforte, M; Estandarte, AK; Chen, B; Harder, R; Huang, MH; Robinson, IK; (2016) Novel silica stabilization method for the analysis of fine nanocrystals using coherent X-ray diffraction imaging. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation , 23 (4) pp. 953-958. 10.1107/S1600577516006408. Green open access

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Abstract

High-energy X-ray Bragg coherent diffraction imaging (BCDI) is a well established synchrotron-based technique used to quantitatively reconstruct the three-dimensional morphology and strain distribution in nanocrystals. The BCDI technique has become a powerful analytical tool for quantitative investigations of nanocrystals, nanotubes, nanorods and more recently biological systems. BCDI has however typically failed for fine nanocrystals in sub-100 nm size regimes – a size routinely achievable by chemical synthesis – despite the spatial resolution of the BCDI technique being 20–30 nm. The limitations of this technique arise from the movement of nanocrystals under illumination by the highly coherent beam, which prevents full diffraction data sets from being acquired. A solution is provided here to overcome this problem and extend the size limit of the BCDI technique, through the design of a novel stabilization method by embedding the fine nanocrystals into a silica matrix. Chemically synthesized FePt nanocrystals of maximum dimension 20 nm and AuPd nanocrystals in the size range 60–65 nm were investigated with BCDI measurement at beamline 34-ID-C of the APS, Argonne National Laboratory. Novel experimental methodologies to elucidate the presence of strain in fine nanocrystals are a necessary pre-requisite in order to better understand strain profiles in engineered nanocrystals for novel device development.

Type: Article
Title: Novel silica stabilization method for the analysis of fine nanocrystals using coherent X-ray diffraction imaging
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1107/S1600577516006408
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600577516006408
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction; nanocrystals; stabilization method; three-dimensional reconstruction; strain.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > London Centre for Nanotechnology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1508991
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