In Situ Imaging of Ion Motion in a Single Nanoparticle: Structural Transformations in Selenium Nanoparticles

Bin Bin Chen; Meng Li Liu; Hong Yan Zou; Yang Liu; Yuan Fang Li; Mark T Swihart; Cheng Zhi Huang

doi:10.1002/anie.202210313

In Situ Imaging of Ion Motion in a Single Nanoparticle: Structural Transformations in Selenium Nanoparticles

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2022 Oct 24;61(43):e202210313. doi: 10.1002/anie.202210313. Epub 2022 Sep 23.

Authors

Bin Bin Chen^{1

2}, Meng Li Liu^{1

3

4}, Hong Yan Zou¹, Yang Liu^{5

6}, Yuan Fang Li⁷, Mark T Swihart⁶, Cheng Zhi Huang¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, P.R. China.
² School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 2001 Longxiang Boulevard, Longgang District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong 518172, China.
³ Department of The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518172, P. R. China.
⁴ Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen, P. R. China.
⁵ Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
⁶ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260-4200, USA.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Real-Time Analytical System, Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, P.R. China.

PMID: 36006774
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202210313

Abstract

Intraparticle ion motions are critical to the structure and properties of nanomaterials, but rarely disclosed. Herein, in situ visualization of ion motions in a single nanoparticle is presented by dark-field microscopy imaging, which shows HgCl₂ -induced structural transformation of amorphous selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with the main composition of Se₈ . Owing to the high binding affinity with selenium and coulomb interactions, Hg²⁺ ions can permeate into the interior of SeNPs, making the amorphous Se₈ turn to polycrystalline Hg₃ Se₂ Cl₂ . As a proof of concept, SeNPs then serve as a highly effective scavenger for selective removal of Hg²⁺ ions from solution. This new finding offers visual proof for the photophysical process involving intraparticle ion motion, demonstrating that tracking the ion motions is a novel strategy to comprehend the formation mechanism with the purpose of developing new nanostructures like nanoalloys and nano metal compounds.

Keywords: Dark-Field Microscopy; In Situ Visualization; Ion Motion; Nanoparticles; Structural Transformation.

Abstract

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