Real-time evolution of the distribution of nanoparticles in an ultrathin-polymer-film-based waveguide.
We report a novel application of an ultrathin-polymer-film-based, resonance-enhanced x-ray waveguide as a real-time nanoprobe for elucidating dilute, yet disordered, gold nanoparticles embedded in the polymer matrix. This nanoprobe promises a sensitivity enhancement of several orders of magnitude, hence revealing in real time the lateral nanoparticle distribution with subnanometer spatial resolution. We observed that the motion of the nanoparticles is strongly anisotropic, with in-plane coalescence taking place more rapidly than out-of-plane diffusion, which can ultimately facilitate the formation of two-dimensional structures.
Narayanan
Suresh
S
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Lee
Dong Ryeol
DR
Guico
Rodney S
RS
Sinha
Sunil K
SK
Wang
Jin
J