High resolution TEM studies on palladium nanoparticles

In the present work, we discuss the analysis of Pd nanoparticles in the ran ge of 1-5 nm using high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Particles we re grown using colloidal methods. The principles of the observation of HREM images and their study using the corresponding FFT of the images are discu ssed. The results show that particles have the following shapes: FCC cubo-octahed rons, icosahedrons, truncated decahedrons and single-twinned FCC configurat ion. Each one of those structures is discussed and images are shown. We als o found that a fraction of the particles corresponds to a short range order ed amorphous phase. The future of HREM observations of nanoparticles is als o discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.