Real-Time Monitoring of Growing Nanoparticles by in situ Small Angle Grazing Incidence X-Ray Scattering

A challenge to produce nano-objects with given properties is to control in situ and in real time large collection of growing nanoparticles at a macroscopic scale. This requires to go beyond existing post mortem and/or time consuming analyzes. A dedicated Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS) set up has been developed, allowing real time imaging in k-space of growing nano-particles. The capabilities to derive the average particle shape and size, the film growth mode and the degree of order within the film are illustrated on two prototypical cases: the model catalyst Pd/MgO(100) and the self-organized Co/Au(111) system