Surface Reconstruction of the Unstable 110 Surface in Gold Nanorods

Gold nanorods prepared electrochemically and capped in micelles are examined using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that they have an axial growth direction of 001 and have surfaces made of 100 and the unstable 110 facets. A detailed examination of the defect sites of both of these facets shows that while the defective regions of the stable 100 facets show atom-height steps with no reconstruction, the less stable higher energy 110 surfaces show missing-row reconstruction. The role of micelles in stabilizing the 110 facet in the gold nanorod is briefly discussed.