In Situ Interfacial Manipulation of Metastable States Between Nucleation and Decomposition of Single Bismuth Nanoparticle

Nanostructures with rich physical properties are promising for applications in electronics, chemistry, energy and bioscience, etc. The relationship and manipulation among different nanostructures as a hot topic attract many attentions. However, the transformation, such as nucleation events and metastable states, is rarely observed. The electron beam-induced perturbations of the system can be used to manipulate nanostructures by controlling the properties of the focused electron beam. Here, taking advantage of an electron beam to induce the direct growth of bismuth (Bi) nanodroplets on the Bi nanowire, the transformation between nucleation and decomposition processes within the nanoparticles is studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results show that the nucleation occurred at the edge of the Bi nanodroplet, and the metastable state in coalesced area introduced the additional interfacial states, determining the nucleation and decomposition of the nanostructure. This study helps to observe the critical process, reduce the gap between theory and experiment for reducing interfacial area to improve the energy storage efficiency.