Real-time visualization of sub-particle reaction anisotropy via rotary-encoded scattering microscopy
摘要
Understanding nanoscale chemical transformations within liquid environments is essential for advancing catalysis, material synthesis, and nanotechnology. However, existing optical imaging techniques face significant challenges in resolve sub-particle-level dynamics due to intrinsic limitations in spatial resolution and sensitivity. Here, we introduce an optical imaging technique, Rotary-Encoded Scattering Microscopy (RESM), that achieves real-time, label-free visualization of sub-particle chemical transformations with high sensitivity and resolution. By dynamically engineering the point spread function (PSF) to encode sub-particle structural changes into distinctive scattering patterns, RESM enables direct tracking of chemical reactions at the sub-particle level. Using RESM, we elucidate concentration-dependent oxidation mechanisms during the oxidation of silver nanospheres (Ag NSs) in aqueous environments. At high Cl- concentrations, anisotropic oxidation via AgCl precipitation emerges as a distinct liquid-phase pathway, marking a clear transition from the isotropic oxidation observed at lower concentrations and indicating that Cl- controls pathway selection while Fe3+ sets the overall rate. We further demonstrate the versatility of RESM by capturing anisotropic intercalation kinetics of Prussian blue nanoparticles, uncovering sub-particle heterogeneity even in highly symmetric materials. By enabling direct visualization of previously hidden sub-particle reaction pathways, RESM establishes a broadly applicable platform for high-sensitivity chemical imaging, bridging structural characterization and functional performance at the nanoscale.