October 2023

This 3D rendering in ‘golden October’ color scheme displays an electron tomographic reconstruction of a porous hematite particle synthesized by Monica Distaso from the Institute of Particle Technology at FAU. In this study, mesocrystals were used as effective precursors to design nanoreactors with different kinds of enclosed porosity, with potential applications in a variety of fields such as heterogeneous catalysis, energy conversion and storage, and sensors. The thermal treatment of hematite mesocrystalline nanoparticles was investigated as a post-processing tool for the engineering of internal organization of hierarchical structures. The porosity of starting materials and of particles thermally treated at different temperatures was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption and 360° electron tomography.