Surface diffusion and coalescence of mobile metal nanoparticles

The diffusion and coalescence of metal nanoparticles play important roles in many phenomena. Here, we offer a new integrated overview of the main factors that control the nanoparticle coalescence process. Three factors are considered in our description of the coalescence process: nanoparticle diffusion across the surface, their physical and thermodynamic properties, and the mechanism of coalescence. We demonstrate that the liquidlike properties of the surface layers of the nanoparticles play an essential role in this process. We present experimental evidence for our opinion, based on the high-resolution electron microscopic analysis of several different types of nanoparticles.