Kirkendall effect in Co nanoparticles

These experiments show the changes in nanoparticle morphology during in-situ TEM oxidation of Co nanoparticles in oxygen at elevated temperatures. These kind of in-situ TEM observations  are crucial in understanding of the fundamental relationships involved in catalytic activity in these materials.

Left: Movie of the formation of hollow core oxide shells when Co nanoparticles are heated from 150°C to 250°C in 1 bar of flowing oxygen.

Reference: H.L. Xin, K. Niu, D.H. Alsem and H. Zheng.  “In-Situ TEM Study of Catalytic Nanoparticle Reactions in Atmospheric Pressure Gas Environment,” Microscopy & Microanalysis 19 (2013) pp. 1558. Abstract

Copyright © Microscopy Society of America, 2013