Electrostatically Driven Nanoballoon Actuator.

We demonstrate an inflatable nanoballoon actuator based on geometrical transitions between the inflated (cylindrical) and collapsed (flattened) forms of a carbon nanotube. In situ transmission electron microscopy experiments employing a nanoelectromechanical manipulator show that a collapsed carbon nanotube can be reinflated by electrically charging the nanotube, thus realizing an electrostatically driven nanoballoon actuator. We find that the tube actuator can be reliably cycled with only modest control voltages (few volts) with no apparent wear or fatigue. A complementary theoretical analysis identifies critical parameters for nanotube nanoballoon actuation.

C60/collapsed carbon nanotube hybrids: a variant of peapods.

We examine a variant of so-called carbon nanotube peapods by packing C60 molecules inside the open edge ducts of collapsed carbon nanotubes. C60 insertion is accomplished through a facile single-step solution-based process. Theoretical modeling is used to evaluate favorable low-energy structural configurations. Overfilling of the collapsed tubes allows infiltration of C60 over the full cross-section of the tubes and consequent partial or complete reinflation, yielding few-wall, large diameter cylindrical nanotubes packed with crystalline C60 solid cores.

Graphene-Sealed Flow Cells for In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of Liquid Samples.

We introduce a graphene-based nanofluidic cell that facilitates in situ imaging of liquid samples via transmission electron microscopy. The cell combines the benefits of graphene liquid cells-namely, high resolution, reduced charging effects, and excellent sample stability-with the ability to introduce reactants and control fluid concentrations as provided by conventional silicon-nitride-windowed flow cells. The graphene flow cell offers significantly less window bowing compared to existing commercial holders. We demonstrate the performance of the flow cell by imaging gold nanoparticle dynamics and uranyl acetate crystallization. Our results confirm the utility of graphene flow cells in obtaining the high spatial and temporal resolution required for probing the complex dynamics of nanoparticles and nucleation pathways in aqueous solutions.

Fabrication of Subnanometer-Precision Nanopores in Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

We demonstrate the fabrication of individual nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with atomically precise control of the pore shape and size. Previous methods of pore production in other 2D materials typically create pores with irregular geometry and imprecise diameters. In contrast, other studies have shown that with careful control of electron irradiation, defects in h-BN grow with pristine zig-zag edges at quantized triangular sizes, but they have failed to demonstrate production and control of isolated defects. In this work, we combine these techniques to yield a method in which we can create individual size-quantized triangular nanopores through an h-BN sheet. The pores are created using the electron beam of a conventional transmission electron microscope; which can strip away multiple layers of h-BN exposing single-layer regions, introduce single vacancies, and preferentially grow vacancies only in the single-layer region. We further demonstrate how the geometry of these pores can be altered beyond triangular by changing beam conditions. Precisely size- and geometry-tuned nanopores could find application in molecular sensing, DNA sequencing, water desalination, and molecular separation.

Single-particle mapping of nonequilibrium nanocrystal transformations.

Chemists have developed mechanistic insight into numerous chemical reactions by thoroughly characterizing nonequilibrium species. Although methods to probe these processes are well established for molecules, analogous techniques for understanding intermediate structures in nanomaterials have been lacking. We monitor the shape evolution of individual anisotropic gold nanostructures as they are oxidatively etched in a graphene liquid cell with a controlled redox environment. Short-lived, nonequilibrium nanocrystals are observed, structurally analyzed, and rationalized through Monte Carlo simulations. Understanding these reaction trajectories provides important fundamental insight connecting high-energy nanocrystal morphologies to the development of kinetically stabilized surface features and demonstrates the importance of developing tools capable of probing short-lived nanoscale species at the single-particle level.