Self-assembly and stability of metal nanoclusters: Modeling & Experiment

Jim W. Evans

Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Iowa State University
Aames Laboratory, US DOE

Self-assembly of metal nanoclusters or nanocrystals requires mobility of the aggregating metal species. Thus, self-assembly can occur via deposition on smooth surfaces or in the solution phase. The structure of the nanoclusters is highly sensitive to the degree of relaxation of metal species within the aggregate. Limited relaxation leads to diverse far-from-equilibrium shapes and structures, which can be tailored to optimize properties for applications such as plasmonics and catalysis. However, such non-equilibrium structures are metastable and tend to relax back to their equilibrium forms, thus degrading properties. We develop predictive stochastic atomistic-level models for both self-assembly and subsequent relaxation, predictions from which are compared with appropriate experimental microscopy data. 

Reference: Chem. Rev. 119 (2019) 6670.

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Meeting ID: 237 791 1726

Passcode: LSUP&A