Symmetry breaking is a spontanoues and random process, in which small fluctuations acting on a system determine its fate by arbitrarily following one of the branches of a bifurcation.It occurs  when a system is subject to growth in size or variations in terms of thermodynamic parameters.  Symmetry breaking has enabled the synthesis of colloidal metal nanocrystals with diversified shapes or morphologies, together with novel properties for a variety of applications. Notable examples include one-dimensional nanostructures (<i>e.g.</i>, nanorods and nanowires) and twinned nanoparticles (<i>e.g.</i>, decahedra and icosahedra) whose symmetries do not commensurate with those of the corresponding crystal lattices or unit cells. In this talk, I will use the formation of colloidal metal nanocrystals as an example to illustrate the concept of symmetry breaking, with a focus on the strategies for experimentally inducing and controlling symmetry breaking in both the nucleation and growth processes.

Symmetry breaking during the nucleation and growth of colloidal metal nanocrystals

251st National Meeting (2016)

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