Catalytic Gold Nanoparticles Research Articles

Distorted surface and interface structures of catalytic gold nanoparticles observed by spherical aberration-free phase electron microscopy

The surface and interface atomic structure of catalytic gold nanoparticles was studied by analyzing a spherical aberration-free phase image. Typically, a catalytic gold particle forms a single crystal having a cuboctahedral shape. The atomic structure of the surface and interface is largely deformed from the bulk structure by stress produced by the atom missing row structure, the reconstructed surface structure, and strong interaction with the substrate. In addition, the structure inside the particle is also deformed by distortion of the surface and the interface.