Understanding interactions between capped nanocrystals: Three-body and chain packing effects

Self-assembly of capped nanocrystals (NC) attracted a lot of attention over the past decade. Despite progress in manufacturing of NC superstructures, the current understanding of their mechanical and thermodynamic stability is still limited. For further applications, it is crucial to find the origin and the magnitude of the interactions that...

In situ imaging of electromigration-induced nanogap formation by transmission electron microscopy

The authors imaged electromigration-induced nanogap formation in situ by transmission electron microscopy. Real-time video recordings show that edge voids form near the cathode side. The polycrystalline gold wires narrow down until a single-grain boundary intersects the constriction along which the breaking continues. During the last 50?ms of...