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DOE OSTI · 3382430

Visualizing Millisecond Atomic Dynamics of Nanocrystals in Liquid

Kang, Sungsu [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000182200345)·Rhee, Jinho [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)]·Kim, Joodeok [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)]·Oaks-Leaf, Sam [University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000326180380)·Kim, Minwoo [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0009000550334740)·Yang, Shengsong [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000213867549)·Liu, Chang [University of Chicago, IL (United States)]·Kim, Dongsu [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)]·Kim, Sungin [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0000000191070781)·Wu, Binyu [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0009000789618964)·Lee, Won Bo [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:000000017801083X)·Limmer, David T. [University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute, Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000227660688)·Alivisatos, A. Paul [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000168959048)·Ercius, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Foundry]·Park, Jungwon [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of); Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0000000329274331)
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Abstract

Atomic structures of nanomaterials are inherently dynamic and continuously reshaped through interactions with chemical species and external stimuli. Such dynamics are further amplified as the size and dimensionality of nanomaterials decrease. Despite advances in analytical methods, it remains challenging to capture the structural dynamics of nanomaterials in reactive environments with both atomic spatial resolution and commensurate temporal resolution. Here, in this study, we directly visualize atomic-scale dynamics of gold (Au) nanocrystals in reactive liquid environments with millisecond-speed liquid-cell electron microscopy (EM) and deep-learning denoising. We uncover reversible fluctuations in the local crystallinity of Au nanocrystals dependent on the surrounding chemical environment. These transient fluctuations, driven by interactions at nanocrystal–liquid interfaces, critically influence the dissolution kinetics and grain boundary relaxation. By overcoming the spatiotemporal limitations in conventional liquid-cell EM, our findings provide insights into how transient nanoscale structures dictate the stability and reactivity of nanomaterials.

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BibTeXRIS

Kang, Sungsu [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000182200345), Rhee, Jinho [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)], Kim, Joodeok [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)], Oaks-Leaf, Sam [University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000326180380), Kim, Minwoo [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0009000550334740), Yang, Shengsong [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000213867549), Liu, Chang [University of Chicago, IL (United States)], Kim, Dongsu [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)], Kim, Sungin [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0000000191070781), Wu, Binyu [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0009000789618964), Lee, Won Bo [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:000000017801083X), Limmer, David T. [University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute, Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000227660688), Alivisatos, A. Paul [University of Chicago, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000168959048), Ercius, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Foundry], Park, Jungwon [Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of); Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)] (ORCID:0000000329274331). 2026-06-18. Visualizing Millisecond Atomic Dynamics of Nanocrystals in Liquid. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c08238

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