In transmission electron microscopy(TEM),encapsulation is an important tool to preserve the nanoparticles from aggregation,weathering,and destructive highenergy electron beam.Traditionally,encapsulation can only be us...In transmission electron microscopy(TEM),encapsulation is an important tool to preserve the nanoparticles from aggregation,weathering,and destructive highenergy electron beam.Traditionally,encapsulation can only be used to trap end products.This study pushes the limit of in situ encapsulation so that intermediates of short time scale can be trapped.Nanocrystals of water-soluble salts were generated from a solute-induced phase separation(SIPS)process.By performing a modified Stober encapsulation on different time points of the process,a series of intermediates can be trapped by silica shells.By arranging and comparing the intermediates,it is possible to reconstruct the growing process of those water-soluble salt nanocrystals.Moreover,an example of the transition from nanocrystal to liquid droplet was discovered,unveiling a potentially alternative route of the SIPS process.The reported technique could capture more snapshots for TEM imaging,providing crucial information on the study of nanoscale growth mechanism.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91956109)Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2022XHSJJ002)+1 种基金Hangzhou Municipal Funding, Team of Innovation (TD2022004)the Foundation of Westlake University。
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21703104,21673117 and 91956109)Nanjing Tech University(39837102)the SICAM Fellowship from Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials。
文摘In transmission electron microscopy(TEM),encapsulation is an important tool to preserve the nanoparticles from aggregation,weathering,and destructive highenergy electron beam.Traditionally,encapsulation can only be used to trap end products.This study pushes the limit of in situ encapsulation so that intermediates of short time scale can be trapped.Nanocrystals of water-soluble salts were generated from a solute-induced phase separation(SIPS)process.By performing a modified Stober encapsulation on different time points of the process,a series of intermediates can be trapped by silica shells.By arranging and comparing the intermediates,it is possible to reconstruct the growing process of those water-soluble salt nanocrystals.Moreover,an example of the transition from nanocrystal to liquid droplet was discovered,unveiling a potentially alternative route of the SIPS process.The reported technique could capture more snapshots for TEM imaging,providing crucial information on the study of nanoscale growth mechanism.
