CBED electron beam drilling and closing of holes in decahedral silver nanoparticles

When a focused electron beam of 200 keV energy with the characteristics used to obtain convergent beam diffraction patterns (CBED) in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) impinges on silver decahedral nanoparticles, a hole gets drilled in the site of incidence. The hole is the result of mechanisms of interaction which occur during the collision between the incident electrons and the target atoms, such as ballistic type, knock-on, temperature, etc. After the formation of the hole, and during observation time of the particle in the high resolution (HRTEM) mode, the hole is closed. The closing of the hole is an isostructural particle reconstruction, probably the result of the surface material diffusion together with the roughness at the atomic level of the hole's walls.

► Silver decahedral nanoparticles were observed both in HRTEM and CBED modes in a TEM.
► The CBED electron beam drills a hole in the nanoparticle in the site of incidence.
► The hole is closed during HRTEM observation time of the particle.
► Surface material diffusion and the hole's roughness may cause the closing of holes.