Switchable materials that have extreme material contrast and short switching times with negligible degradation can contribute to active plasmonic and nanophotonic systems. In order to understand their supreme properties, researchers must gather in-depth knowledge about nanoscopic processes. In a new study now published on Science Advances, Julian Karst and a team of scientists at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, investigated nanoscopic details of the phase transition dynamics of metallic magnesium (Mg) to dielectric magnesium hydride (MgH2) using free-standing films to conduct nanoimaging in the lab. The team used characteristic MgH2 phonon resonance to obtain unprecedented chemical specificity between the material states. The results revealed the nucleation process that occurred during nanocrystalline formation. They measured a faster hydride phase propagation at the nanoscale, compared to macroscopic propagation dynamics. The innovative method offers an engineering strategy to overcome limited diffusion coefficients with substantial impact in order to design, develop and analyze switchable phase transition, hydrogen storage and generation materials.
Click here for original story, Watching the in situ hydrogen diffusion dynamics in magnesium on the nanoscale
Source: Phys.org