title: Low-temperature nanocrystal unification through rotations and relaxations probed by in situ transmission electron microscopy.
abstract: Through the mechanism of "oriented attachment", small nanocrystals can fuse into a wide variety of one- and two-dimensional nanostructures. This fusion phenomenon is investigated in detail by low-temperature annealing of a two-dimensional array of 10 nm-sized PbSe nanocrystals, in situ in the transmission electron microscope. We have revealed a complex chain of processes; after coalescence, the connected nanocrystals undergo consecutive rotations in three-dimensional space, followed by drastic interfacial relaxations whereby full fusion is obtained.
authors.affiliation: Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands. m.a.vanhuis@tudelft.nl
authors.forename: Marijn A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Huis
authors.forename: Lucas T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Kunneman
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Overgaag
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pandraud
authors.forename: Henny W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Zandbergen
authors.forename: Daniël
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanmaekelbergh
mesh_terms: D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D013696:Temperature