Selection of single-shot diffraction patterns from clusters of Co@SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs taken at 1200 and 777 eV photon energies, respectively E Pedersoli A J Nelson J Bozek C Bostedt D Starodub R G Sierra C Y Hampton F Capotondi N D Loh M Aslam 10.6084/m9.figshare.1012508.v1 https://iop.figshare.com/articles/figure/_Selection_of_single_shot_diffraction_patterns_from_clusters_of_Co_SiO_sub_2_sub_NPs_taken_at_1200_a/1012508 <p><strong>Figure 1.</strong> Selection of single-shot diffraction patterns from clusters of Co@SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs taken at 1200 and 777 eV photon energies, respectively. Each image shows a border between the brighter inner circle and the darker surrounding area, due to the form factor of the 30 nm diameter single NPs. (a), (b) Large clusters, (c), (d) medium-sized clusters, and (e), (f) small clusters. Qualitative variations between patterns are due to variations in size poly-dispersity, the number and arrangement of NPs within the cluster.</p> <p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>Unraveling the complex morphology of functional materials like core–shell nanoparticles and its evolution in different environments is still a challenge. Only recently has the single-particle coherent diffraction imaging (CDI), enabled by the ultrabright femtosecond free-electron laser pulses, provided breakthroughs in understanding mesoscopic morphology of nanoparticulate matter. Here, we report the first CDI results for Co@SiO<sub>2</sub> core–shell nanoparticles randomly clustered in large airborne aggregates, obtained using the x-ray free-electron laser at the Linac Coherent Light Source. Our experimental results compare favourably with simulated diffraction patterns for clustered Co@SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles with ~10 nm core diameter and ~30 nm shell outer diameter, which confirms the ability to resolve the mesoscale morphology of complex metastable structures. The findings in this first morphological study of core–shell nanomaterials are a solid base for future time-resolved studies of dynamic phenomena in complex nanoparticulate matter using x-ray lasers.</p> 2013-08-13 00:00:00 nanoparticle variation nm cluster cdi np diameter diffraction patterns Linac Coherent Light Source core understanding mesoscopic morphology laser nanoparticulate matter Atomic Physics Molecular Physics