Gold Aerogel Monoliths with Tunable Ultralow Densities.

Herein we report the fabrication of ultralight gold aerogel monoliths with tunable densities and pore structures. Gold nanowires are prepared at the gram scale by substrate-assisted growth with uniform size, ultrathin diameters, high purity, and a high aspect ratio. Freeze-casting of suspensions of these nanowires produces free-standing, monolithic aerogels with tunable densities from 6 to 23 mg/cm3, which to the best of our knowledge represents the lowest density monolithic gold material. We also demonstrate that the pore geometries created during freeze-casting can be systematically tuned across multiple length scales by the selection of different solvents and excipients in the feedstock suspension. The mechanical behavior of porous materials depends on relative density and pore architectures.

Detection of solar wind-produced water in irradiated rims on silicate minerals.

The solar wind (SW), composed of predominantly ∼1-keV H(+) ions, produces amorphous rims up to ∼150 nm thick on the surfaces of minerals exposed in space. Silicates with amorphous rims are observed on interplanetary dust particles and on lunar and asteroid soil regolith grains. Implanted H(+) may react with oxygen in the minerals to form trace amounts of hydroxyl (-OH) and/or water (H2O). Previous studies have detected hydroxyl in lunar soils, but its chemical state, physical location in the soils, and source(s) are debated. If -OH or H2O is generated in rims on silicate grains, there are important implications for the origins of water in the solar system and other astrophysical environments. By exploiting the high spatial resolution of transmission electron microscopy and valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy, we detect water sealed in vesicles within amorphous rims produced by SW irradiation of silicate mineral grains on the exterior surfaces of interplanetary dust particles. Our findings establish that water is a byproduct of SW space weathering. We conclude, on the basis of the pervasiveness of the SW and silicate materials, that the production of radiolytic SW water on airless bodies is a ubiquitous process throughout the solar system.

Investigating processes of nanocrystal formation and transformation via liquid cell TEM.

Recent ex situ observations of crystallization in both natural and synthetic systems indicate that the classical models of nucleation and growth are inaccurate. However, in situ observations that can provide direct evidence for alternative models have been lacking due to the limited temporal and spatial resolution of experimental techniques that can observe dynamic processes in a bulk solution. Here we report results from liquid cell transmission electron microscopy studies of nucleation and growth of Au, CaCO3, and iron oxide nanoparticles. We show how these in situ data can be used to obtain direct evidence for the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle crystallization as well as dynamic information that provide constraints on important energetic parameters not available through ex situ methods.

The dynamics and energetics of matrix assembly and mineralization.

Formation of biominerals commonly occurs within the context of an organic matrix composed of proteins, polysaccharides, and other macromolecules. Much has been learned about the structure of matrices and the spatial and molecular relationships between matrix and mineral. Only recently has quantitative study of matrix organization and subsequent mineralization been pursued. Here, we review findings from physical studies of matrix assembly in the system of microbial S-layer proteins and of calcium carbonate nucleation on organic templates composed of organothiol self-assembled monolayers on noble metals. Studies on S-layers reveal the importance of multistage assembly pathways and kinetic traps associated with the conformational transformations required to build the basic oligomeric building blocks of the matrix. Experimental investigations of calcium carbonate nucleation on carboxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayers combined with theoretical analyses demonstrate the applicability of classical concepts of nucleation, even when cluster-aggregation pathways are considered, and reveal the underlying energetic and structural source of matrix control over the process. Taken together, these studies highlight the ways in which matrix assembly and mineralization deviate from our classical concepts of crystallization but clearly demonstrate that the concepts of physical chemistry that date back to the days of Gibbs and Ostwald still serve us well in understanding the nucleation and growth of organic matrices and mineral phases.

Investigating the electronic structure of high explosives with X-ray Raman spectroscopy.

We investigate the sensitivity and potential of a synergistic experiment-theory X-ray Raman spectroscopy (XRS) methodology on revealing and following the static and dynamic electronic structure of high explosive molecular materials. We show that advanced ab-initio theoretical calculations accounting for the core-hole effect based on the Bethe-Salpeter Equation (BSE) approximation are critical for accurately predicting the shape and the energy position of the spectral features of C and N core-level spectra. Moreover, the incident X-ray dose typical XRS experiments require can induce, in certain unstable structures, a prominent radiation damage at room temperature. Upon developing a compatible cryostat module for enabling cryogenic temperatures ([Formula: see text] 10 K) we suppress the radiation damage and enable the acquisition of reliable experimental spectra in excellent agreement with the theory. Overall, we demonstrate the high sensitivity of the recently available state-of-the-art X-ray Raman spectroscopy capabilities in characterizing the electronic structure of high explosives. At the same time, the high accuracy of the theoretical approach may enable reliable identification of intermediate structures upon rapid chemical decomposition during detonation. Considering the increasing availability of X-ray free-electron lasers, such a combined experiment-theory approach paves the way for time-resolved dynamic studies of high explosives under detonation conditions.

Submicrosecond Aggregation during Detonation Synthesis of Nanodiamond.

Detonation nanodiamond (DND) is known to form aggregates that significantly reduce their unique nanoscale properties and require postprocessing to separate. How and when DND aggregates is an important question that has not been answered experimentally and could provide the foundation for approaches to limit aggregation. To answer this question, time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering was performed during the detonation of high-explosives that are expected to condense particulates in the diamond, graphite, and liquid regions of the carbon phase diagram. DND aggregation into low fractal dimension structures could be observed as early as 0.1 µs, along with a separate scattering population also observed from an explosive that produces primarily graphitic products. A counterexample is the case of a high-explosive that produces nano-onions, where no hierarchical scattering was observed for at least 10 µs behind the detonation front. These results suggest that DND aggregation occurs on time scales comparable to particle formation.

Ultrafast shock synthesis of nanocarbon from a liquid precursor.

Carbon nanoallotropes are important nanomaterials with unusual properties and promising applications. High pressure synthesis has the potential to open new avenues for controlling and designing their physical and chemical characteristics for a broad range of uses but it remains little understood due to persistent conceptual and experimental challenges, in addition to fundamental physics and chemistry questions that are still unresolved after many decades. Here we demonstrate sub-nanosecond nanocarbon synthesis through the application of laser-induced shock-waves to a prototypical organic carbon-rich liquid precursor-liquid carbon monoxide. Overlapping large-scale molecular dynamics simulations capture the atomistic details of the nanoparticles' formation and evolution in a reactive environment and identify classical evaporation-condensation as the mechanism governing their growth on these time scales.

Controlling interdependent meso-nanosecond dynamics and defect generation in metal 3D printing.

State-of-the-art metal 3D printers promise to revolutionize manufacturing, yet they have not reached optimal operational reliability. The challenge is to control complex laser-powder-melt pool interdependency (dependent upon each other) dynamics. We used high-fidelity simulations, coupled with synchrotron experiments, to capture fast multitransient dynamics at the meso-nanosecond scale and discovered new spatter-induced defect formation mechanisms that depend on the scan strategy and a competition between laser shadowing and expulsion. We derived criteria to stabilize the melt pool dynamics and minimize defects. This will help improve build reliability.

Shape-controlled synthesis and in situ characterisation of anisotropic Au nanomaterials using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy.

Understanding the mechanisms behind crystal nucleation and growth is a fundamental requirement for the design and production of bespoke nanomaterials with controlled sizes and morphologies. Herein, we select gold (Au) nanoparticles as the model system for our study due to their representative applications in biology, electronics and optoelectronics. We investigate the radiation-induced in situ growth of gold (Au) particles using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) and study the growth kinetics of non-spherical Au structures. Under controlled electron fluence, liquid flow rate and Au3+ ion supply, we show the favoured diffusion-limited growth of multi-twinned nascent Au seed particles into branched structures when using thin liquid cells (100 nm and 250 nm) in LCTEM, whereas faceted structures (e.g., spheres, rods, and prisms) formed when using a 1 µm thick liquid cell. In addition, we observed that anisotropic Au growth could be modulated by Au-binding amyloid fibrils, which we ascribe to their capability to regulate Au3+ ion diffusion and mass transfer in solution. We anticipate that this study will provide new perspectives on the shape-controlled synthesis of anisotropic metallic nanomaterials using LCTEM.

In situ TEM imaging of CaCO3 nucleation reveals coexistence of direct and indirect pathways.

Mechanisms of nucleation from electrolyte solutions have been debated for more than a century. Recent discoveries of amorphous precursors and evidence for cluster aggregation and liquid-liquid separation contradict common assumptions of classical nucleation theory. Using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to explore calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nucleation in a cell that enables reagent mixing, we demonstrate that multiple nucleation pathways are simultaneously operative, including formation both directly from solution and indirectly through transformation of amorphous and crystalline precursors. However, an amorphous-to-calcite transformation is not observed. The behavior of amorphous calcium carbonate upon dissolution suggests that it encompasses a spectrum of structures, including liquids and solids. These observations of competing direct and indirect pathways are consistent with classical predictions, whereas the behavior of amorphous particles hints at an underlying commonality among recently proposed precursor-based mechanisms.

Preparation of organothiol self-assembled monolayers for use in templated crystallization.

Organothiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have garnered much interest as templates for oriented crystallization of biominerals. While, on the surface, SAM preparation appears to be straightforward, there are many subtleties that may yield films that lack the desired effect on the mineral component in subsequent use for templated mineralization. Herein, we discuss literature that uses organothiol SAMs to understand various principles in biomineralization, to motivate the following discussion of preparation procedures and pitfalls that may arise while working with SAMs. We provide a range of parameters for each element of a SAM-forming process, which have been shown in the literature to produce monolayers suitable for mineralization experiments, and close with a step-by-step procedure, based on findings in the cited literature, that yields functional SAMs with very high fidelity.

Design, fabrication, and applications of in situ fluid cell TEM.

In situ fluid cell TEM is a powerful new tool for understanding dynamic processes during liquid phase chemical reactions, including mineral formation. This technique, which operates in the high vacuum of a TEM chamber, provides information on crystal structure, phase, morphology, size, aggregation/segregation, and crystal growth mechanisms in real time. In situ TEM records both crystal structure and morphology at spatial resolutions down to the atomic level with high temporal resolution of up to 10(-6)s per image, giving it distinct advantages over other in situ techniques such as optical microscopy, AFM, or X-ray scattering or diffraction. This chapter addresses the design, fabrication, and assembly of TEM fluid cells and applications of fluid cell TEM to understanding mechanisms of mineralization.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy for the structural investigation of self-assembled-monolayer-directed mineralization.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of organothiol molecules prepared on noble metal substrates are known to exert considerable influence over biomineral nucleation and growth and, as such, offer model templates for investigation of the processes of directed biomineralization. Identifying the structural evolution of SAM/crystal systems is essential for a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which organic monolayers mediate mineral growth. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) provides the attractive ability to study SAM structure at critical stages throughout the processes of crystallization in SAM/mineral systems. Here, we discuss important theoretical and experimental considerations for designing and implementing XAS studies of SAM/mineral systems.

Direction-specific interactions control crystal growth by oriented attachment.

The oriented attachment of molecular clusters and nanoparticles in solution is now recognized as an important mechanism of crystal growth in many materials, yet the alignment process and attachment mechanism have not been established. We performed high-resolution transmission electron microscopy using a fluid cell to directly observe oriented attachment of iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles. The particles undergo continuous rotation and interaction until they find a perfect lattice match. A sudden jump to contact then occurs over less than 1 nanometer, followed by lateral atom-by-atom addition initiated at the contact point. Interface elimination proceeds at a rate consistent with the curvature dependence of the Gibbs free energy. Measured translational and rotational accelerations show that strong, highly direction-specific interactions drive crystal growth via oriented attachment.

High Surface Area, sp(2)-Cross-Linked Three-Dimensional Graphene Monoliths.

Developing three-dimensional (3D) graphene assemblies with properties similar to those individual graphene sheets is a promising strategy for graphene-based electrodes. Typically, the synthesis of 3D graphene assemblies relies on van der Waals forces for holding the graphene sheets together, resulting in bulk properties that do not reflect those reported for individual graphene sheets. Here, we report the use of sol-gel chemistry to introduce chemical bonding between the graphene sheets and control the bulk properties of graphene-based aerogels. Adjusting synthetic parameters allows a wide range of control over surface area, pore volume, and pore size, as well as the nature of the chemical cross-links (sp(2) vs sp(3)). The bulk properties of the graphene-based aerogels represent a significant step toward realizing the properties of individual graphene sheets in a 3D assembly with surface areas approaching the theoretical value of an individual sheet.