Twin defects can be easily incorporated into nanocrystallite seeds of noble metals with a face-centered cubic structure. The number of twin defects then dictates the shapes taken by the nanocrystals in conjunction with the selective binding effect of a capping agent. For example, in the presence of a capping agent toward the {100} facets, single-crystal, singly twinned, and multiply twinned seeds will be directed to grow into nanocubes, right bipyramids, and pentagonal nanowires. However, it has been unclear which experimental parameter of a synthesis controls the twin structure of a seed formed during nucleation. In this talk, I will discuss the role of reduction kinetcis in determining the twin structure of a seed. By accelerating or deaccelerating the reduction kinetics, we were able to determanistically generate seeds with a specific twin structure and thus the final shape or morphology.

What controls the twin structure of a seed during the nucleation process?

248th National Meeting (2014)

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