In Situ Atomic-Scale Study of Particle-Mediated Nucleation and Growth in Amorphous Bismuth to Nanocrystal Phase Transformation.

ABSTRACT: Understanding classical and nonclassical mechanisms of crystal nucleation and growth at the atomic scale is of great interest to scientists in many disciplines. However, fulfilling direct atomic-scale observation still poses a significant challenge. Here, by taking a thin amorphous bismuth (Bi) metal nanosheet as a model system, direct atomic resolution of the crystal nucleation and growth initiated from an amorphous state of Bi metal under electron beam inside an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope is provided. It is shown that the crystal nucleation and growth in the phase transformation of Bi metal from amorphous to crystalline structure takes place via the particle-mediated nonclassical mechanism instead of the classical atom-mediated mechanism. The dimension of the s

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6010897 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature