Surface Properties of Gold Nanorods - Insights from Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopic Methods

Gold nanorods are nanometre-sized particles whose shape controls how they interact with light. They are made using different chemicals, which help determine their final shape, but the mechanism by which this occurs is not fully understood. In this work, advanced electron microscopy techniques were used to study how different chemicals affect the stability and bending of gold nanorods at the atomic scale. A new measurement method, supported by artificial intelligence, was developed to count atoms accurately without damaging the particles. The results show that different chemicals lead to measurable differences in surface stability and structural behaviour.