Probing the dynamics of Cu nanoparticle growth inside metal-organic frameworks upon electron beam irradiation

Yuri A. Mezenov (1) , Stéphanie Bruyere (2) , Nikita K. Kulachenkov (1) , Andrei N. Yankin (1) , Sergey S. Rzhevskiy (1) , Pavel V. Alekseevskiy (1) , Venera D. Gilemkhanova (1) , Semyon V. Bachinin (1) , Vyacheslav Dyachuk (1, 3) , Andrei A. Krasilin (1, 4) , Julien Zollinger (2) , Thierry Belmonte (2) , Alexandre Nominé (1, 2) , Valentin A. Milichko (1, 2)

1 ITMO University [Russia]
2 IJL - Institut Jean Lamour
3 FEB RAS - Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
4 A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a unique platform for fabrication of nanoparticles (NPs) of diverse composition and crystallinity. The growth of NPs from constituent parts of MOFs is usually initiated by external stimuli such as temperature, light and electron irradiation. Herein, the kinetics and NP growth mechanisms remain unexplored. Here, we utilized electron irradiation to initiate the nucleation and growth of crystalline Cu NPs of tunable size from several nanometers to hundreds of nanometers inside MOF as a precursor. Simultaneously, the process of the NPs growth, captured in real time using transmission electron microscope, demonstrates the evolution of their size, shape and spatial distribution. We also analyze the NP growth by the classical kinetic theory taking into account a phase transformation. Our results contribute to crystal engineering and developing of functional MOF-based nanocomposites.

Mots clés: Metal-organic framework; Nanoparticles; Crystal growth; Electron microscopy

Domaines: Matériaux

Yuri A. Mezenov, Stéphanie Bruyere, Nikita K. Kulachenkov, Andrei N. Yankin, Sergey S. Rzhevskiy, et al.. Probing the dynamics of Cu nanoparticle growth inside metal-organic frameworks upon electron beam irradiation. Photonics and Nanostructures - Fundamentals and Applications, 2020, 41, pp.100832. ⟨10.1016/j.photonics.2020.100832⟩. ⟨hal-02944938⟩