Bragg coherent diffraction imaging of single 20†nm Pt particles at the ID01-EBS beamline of ESRF.

Electronic or catalytic properties can be modified at the nanoscale level. Engineering efficient and specific nanomaterials requires the ability to study their complex structure-property relationships. Here, Bragg coherent diffraction imaging was used to measure the three-dimensional shape and strain of platinum nanoparticles with a diameter smaller than 30 nm, i.e. significantly smaller than any previous study. This was made possible by the realization of the Extremely Brilliant Source of ESRF, The European Synchrotron. This work demonstrates the feasibility of imaging the complex structure of very small particles in three dimensions and paves the way towards the observation of realistic catalytic particles.

Reactor for nano-focused x-ray diffraction and imaging under catalytic in situ conditions.

A reactor cell for in situ studies of individual catalyst nanoparticles or surfaces by nano-focused (coherent) x-ray diffraction has been developed. Catalytic reactions can be studied in flow mode in a pressure range of 10-2-103 mbar and temperatures up to 900 °C. This instrument bridges the pressure and materials gap at the same time within one experimental setup. It allows us to probe in situ the structure (e.g., shape, size, strain, faceting, composition, and defects) of individual nanoparticles using a nano-focused x-ray beam. Here, the setup was used to observe strain and facet evolution of individual model Pt catalysts during in situ experiments. It can be used for heating other (non-catalytically active) nanoparticles (e.g., nanowires) in inert or reactive gas atmospheres or vacuum as well.