Time- and Atom-Resolved 3D Structural Reconstruction of Colloidal Nanocrystals Obtained by Time-Resolved 3D Brownian Tomography

Colloidal nanocrystals are an important class of materials whose structural dynamics are closely related to their properties. Understanding the three-dimensional (3D) atomic structures of nanocrystals and their transformations in reactive solution environments is therefore essential. Here, we present time-resolved 3D structures of metal and semiconductor nanocrystals, obtained through time-resolved 3D Brownian tomography and graphene liquid cell TEM. We found that Pt nanocrystals undergoing etching in solution become increasingly disordered as their size approaches ~1 nm. Additionally, we introduce the 3D structures of indium-based quantum dots (QDs), where lattice defects and surface structures influence their emission properties critically. The capability of obtaining 3D structure of single nanocrystals suspended in a solution over time would enable a deeper understanding of the structure-property relationship of colloidal nanocrystals.