Affiliation:
1. Applied Physics and Materials Science Department Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ 86011 USA
2. Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications (¡MIRA!) Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ 86011 USA
3. Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria México City 04510 México
4. Laboratorio de Microscopia Electrónica Cinvestav–IPN México City 07360 México
Abstract
AbstractThroughout history, objects with fivefold symmetry have been a popular topic of interest for artists, philosophers, and scientists. This may be because fivefold symmetry is very conspicuous in nature. In the case of crystals, fivefold rotational symmetry is mathematically forbidden, and macroscopic crystals exhibiting fivefold symmetry have never been shown to exist. Nevertheless, in the nanoworld, nanoparticles are often found with decahedral and icosahedral shapes that have an overall pseudo‐fivefold symmetry. These structures are observed at many length scales, from 1 nm up to 1 µm. In this review, several reasons for the stability of fivefold nanoparticles are discussed. These include the formation of twin boundaries, surface reconstruction faceting, and other factors.
Subject
Condensed Matter Physics,General Materials Science,General Chemistry