Structural evolution and fluctuations of gold nanostructures: Correlation between experimental and theoretical approach
Dr. Jagadeesh Suriyaprakash, Prof. Dr. Li Jun Wu*
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanophotonic Functional Materials and Devices, School of Information and Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Gold nanostructures (AuNS) are of great interest for their versatile application in science and technology fields such as electrical, mechanical, healthcare and optical. Their aspect ratio has proven to be of great importance due to their tunable physicochemical properties. In a practical application, Au nanostructures are subjected to various external forces, which caused their physical nature, which is significant to maintain its functionality. Thus, there is an urge to knowing the underlying mechanism of AuNS’s evolution/fluctuation in such external force. To do so, one must combine experimental and theoretical study and decipher the phenomenon at the atomic-scale level. In this context, we demonstrate the structural evolution/fluctuation of ultrathin gold nanowires, spheres, rods in the air as well as a colloidal medium. This top-down approach not only results in fragmented materials on the nanoscale but also is responsible for an array of spheres forming as ultra-fine homogeneous other nanostructure. We presented snapshots of the dynamic process and elaborate on the Au NS end effects, as well as on the morphology by two aspects, (i) Capillary effect and (ii) surface species. Also, we correlate the theoretical molecular dynamics calculation with the experimental results, which shed more light on the comprehensive mechanism of AuNS.
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