title: Surface diffusion and coalescence of mobile metal nanoparticles.
abstract: The diffusion and coalescence of metal nanoparticles play important roles in many phenomena. Here, we offer a new integrated overview of the main factors that control the nanoparticle coalescence process. Three factors are considered in our description of the coalescence process: nanoparticle diffusion across the surface, their physical and thermodynamic properties, and the mechanism of coalescence. We demonstrate that the liquid-like properties of the surface layers of the nanoparticles play an essential role in this process. We present experimental evidence for our opinion, based on the high-resolution electron microscopic analysis of several different types of nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nano and Molecular Technology, Texas Materials Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: José-Yacaman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutierrez-Wing
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: D-Q
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Piyakis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sacher