Core-Shell Mn3O4/Co3O4 Nanoparticle

In this example, we’ll be making a core-shell oxide nanoparticle similar to those studied in Oh et al. 1. This nanoparticle has a cubic Co3O4 grain in the center with strained Mn3O4 grains on all faces of the inner grain.

First, let’s import the routines we need.

import numpy as np
import czone as cz
from pymatgen.core import Structure
from czone.volume import Volume, MultiVolume, Plane, snap_plane_near_point
from czone.generator import Generator, AmorphousGenerator
from czone.transform import Rotation, Reflection, Translation, rot_vtv
from czone.scene import Scene

We downloaded cif files from the Materials Project database for the unit cell data for the two grain types. Here, we load the the files into pymatgen Structure objects which serve as the core drivers of our crystalline Generators.

mn_crystal = Structure.from_file("Mn3O4_mp-18759_conventional_standard.cif")
co_crystal = Structure.from_file("Co3O4_mp-18748_conventional_standard.cif")

In this nanoparticle, the Mn grains grow with their basal planes on the faces of (100) planes of the Co core. The Mn lattice is rotated and strained such that Mn sites along the <110> direction are coincident with the Co sites. Here, we calculate the appropriate strain for the Mn unit cell and apply it to the structure.

# correct lattice mismatch
co_100 = np.linalg.norm(co_crystal.lattice.matrix @ np.array([1,0,0]))
mn_110 = np.linalg.norm(mn_crystal.lattice.matrix @ np.array([1,1,0]))
mn_crystal.apply_strain([co_100/mn_110-1, co_100/mn_110-1, 0])

We start the nanoparticle by making the Co core. We create a generator using the Co structure above, and then find the 6 planes in the (100) family that are 6 unit cells away from the lattice origin to use as boundaries for the cube. We add the planes and the generator to a Volume object and are done with the core.

# Make Co3O4 core
co_gen = Generator(structure=co_crystal)

N_uc = 6 # stretch N unit cells from center
co_a = co_crystal.lattice.a
vecs_100 = np.array([[1,0,0],[-1,0,0],[0,1,0],[0,-1,0],[0,0,1],[0,0,-1]])
planes_100 = []
for v in vecs_100:
    planes_100.append(snap_plane_near_point(N_uc*co_a*v, co_gen, tuple(v)))

co_core = Volume(alg_objects=planes_100, generator=co_gen)

For the Mn grains, we will start with a single unstrained grain and then replicate that grain about the Co core. We create the Generator from the Structure object, and then rotate it about its c-axis 45 degrees and then translate it to the top of the Co core. Since by default Generators have a local origin of (0,0,0), we do not need to do anything more to properly align the Mn and Co lattices.

# Make unstrained Mn3O4 grain
mn_gen = Generator(structure=mn_crystal)

# rotate 45 degrees and place on top of Co core
r = Rotation(matrix=rot_v(np.array([0,0,1]), np.pi/4))
t = Translation(np.array([0,0,N_uc*co_a]))
mn_gen.transform(r)
mn_gen.transform(t)

The Mn grain has many facets. Keeping in mind that we are working in the grain on the +Z side of the, we have (100) facets on the bottom and top of the grain; (112) facets at Mn-Mn interfaces; and (101) facets facing free space.

For the bottom facet, we use grab a point at the Co surface, and for the top facet, we grab a point 6 unit cells above said point and snap (001) planes in the Mn crystal coordinate system to these points. For the (112) facets, which meet the edges of the Co core, we grab (112) planes running through the edge by choosing points that lie on the edge and snapping to them. For the (101) facets, we just choose points near the top surface and translate outwards— this was chosen heuristically to look nice.

# define top and bottom 100 surfaces
surface_point = np.array([0,0,N_uc*co_a])
mn_c = mn_crystal.lattice.c
mn_bot = snap_plane_near_point(surface_point, mn_gen, (0,0,-1))
mn_top = snap_plane_near_point(surface_point+6*mn_c*np.array([0,0,1]), mn_gen, (0,0,1))

# define 112 facets
side_vs_112 = [(1,1,-2),(1,-1,-2), (-1,1,-2), (-1,-1,-2)]
co_vector = [(0,1,0), (1,0,0), (-1,0,0), (0,-1,0)]
sides_112 = []
for s, c in zip(side_vs_112, co_vector):
    tmp_point = N_uc * np.array(c) * co_a + surface_point
    tmp_plane = snap_plane_near_point(tmp_point, mn_gen, s)
    sides_112.append(tmp_plane)

# define 101 facets
mn_a = mn_crystal.lattice.a
side_vs_101 = [(1,0,1),(0,1,1),(-1,0,1),(0,-1,1)]
sides_101 = []
for s in side_vs_101:
    tmp_point = np.array([1,1,0]) * np.sign(s) * 12*mn_a + mn_top.point
    tmp_plane = snap_plane_near_point(tmp_point, mn_gen, s)
    sides_101.append(tmp_plane)

Now that we have the facets of our grain defiend, we create a Volume for the grain and with all of the planes we defined along with the Mn lattice generator that we have previously rotated and translated.

# create volume representing grain
    mn_vols = [mn_bot, mn_top] + sides_112+sides_101
    mn_grain = Volume(alg_objects=mn_vols, generator=mn_gen)
    mn_grain.priority=1

For the five other grains, we can rotate the original grain. We first find rotate about the global y-axis and then the global x-axis to flip the grain around appropriately. By default, the origin of a rotation is set to the global origin, but any origin can be chosen.

# rotate to make 5 other grains from +z shell grain
mn_grains = [mn_grain]

# get +x, -z, -x
for theta in [np.pi/2, np.pi, -np.pi/2]:
    rot = Rotation(rot_v(np.array([0,1,0]),theta))
    tmp_grain = mn_grain.from_volume(transformation=[rot])
    mn_grains.append(tmp_grain)

# get +-y
for theta in [np.pi/2, -np.pi/2]:
    rot = Rotation(rot_v(np.array([1,0,0]),theta))
    tmp_grain = mn_grain.from_volume(transformation=[rot])
    mn_grains.append(tmp_grain)

We finally add all the volumes together to a MultiVolume and write out the nanoparticle to a structure file for visualization.

# make final core-shell NP as multivolume and save to file
core_shell_NP = MultiVolume([co_core] + mn_grains)
core_shell_NP.populate_atoms()
core_shell_NP.to_file("core_shell_NP.xyz")

We now have this complex oxide nanoparticle structure! However, there is one glaringly un-physical feature– between the Mn grains, there is a gap between the (112) facets. As grown, these nanoparticles are continuous in the Mn grains. The exact mechanism by which the nanoparticles accomodate for this gap is still an object of research. However, for now, we can concieve of accomodating this gap by a simple homogeneous strain that compresses the Mn grain along their c-axes until the gap is closed. In Construction Zone, this is also easy to accomplish.

TO COME: Applying a geometrically necessary strain field to the particle.

1

Myoung Hwan Oh, Min Gee Cho, Dong Young Chung, Inchul Park, Youngwook Paul Kwon, Colin Ophus, Dokyoon Kim, Min Gyu Kim, Beomgyun Jeong, X. Wendy Gu, Jinwoung Jo, Ji Mun Yoo, Jaeyoung Hong, Sara McMains, Kisuk Kang, Yung-Eun Sung, A. Paul Alivisatos, and Taeghwan Hyeon. Design and synthesis of multigrain nanocrystals via geometric misfit strain. Nature, 577(7790):359–363, January 2020. URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1899-3, doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1899-3.