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Three-dimensional atomic-scale structure of size-selected gold nanoclusters

Nature volume 451, pages 46–48 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

An unambiguous determination of the three-dimensional structure of nanoparticles is challenging1. Electron tomography requires a series of images taken for many different specimen orientations2. This approach is ideal for stable and stationary structures3. But ultrasmall nanoparticles are intrinsically structurally unstable and may interact with the incident electron beam4,5,6, constraining the electron beam density that can be used and the duration of the observation. Here we use aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy7, coupled with simple imaging simulation, to determine with atomic resolution the size, three-dimensional shape, orientation and atomic arrangement of size-selected gold nanoclusters that are preformed in the gas phase and soft-landed on an amorphous carbon substrate. The structures of gold nanoclusters containing 309±6 atoms can be identified with either Ino-decahedral, cuboctahedral or icosahedral geometries. Comparison with theoretical modelling of the system suggests that the structures are consistent with energetic considerations. The discovery that nanoscale gold particles function as active and selective catalysts for a variety of important chemical reactions has provoked much research interest in recent years8,9,10,11,12. We believe that the detailed structure information we provide will help to unravel the role of these nanoclusters in size- and structure-specific catalytic reactions11,12. We note that the technique will be of use in investigations of other supported ultrasmall metal cluster systems.

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Figure 1: High-resolution HAADF-STEM images of Au 309 clusters on a carbon film.
Figure 2: Relationship between integrated HAADF intensity and size of gold clusters.
Figure 3: Three-dimensional atomic structure of a gold cluster ( N = 309 ± 6).

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Acknowledgements

We thank Y. Chen for assistance with the electron microscopy work in Birmingham. We gratefully acknowledge the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and the EU for their financial support of the cluster work. The EPSRC funded the UK SuperSTEM facility at Daresbury Laboratory. N.P.Y. and B.C.C. acknowledge the EPSRC and the University of Birmingham for PhD funding, respectively. The work at Tsinghua University was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education in China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy,,

    Z. Y. Li, N. P. Young, M. Di Vece, S. Palomba & R. E. Palmer

  2. School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK ,

    B. C. Curley & R. L. Johnston

  3. UK SuperSTEM Laboratory, Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury WA4 4AD, UK

    A. L. Bleloch

  4. Beijing Electron Microscopy Centre,

    J. Jiang & J. Yuan

  5. Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

    J. Jiang & J. Yuan

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  1. Z. Y. Li
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  2. N. P. Young
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  4. S. Palomba
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  5. R. E. Palmer
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  9. J. Jiang
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  10. J. Yuan
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Correspondence to Z. Y. Li.

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Li, Z., Young, N., Di Vece, M. et al. Three-dimensional atomic-scale structure of size-selected gold nanoclusters. Nature 451, 46–48 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06470

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