Fe-Au core-shell nanoparticles displaying an original polyhedral morphology have been successfully synthesized through a physical route. Analyses using transmission electron microscopy show that the Au shell forms truncated pyramids epitaxially grown on the (100) facets of the iron cubic core. The evolution of the elastic energy and strain field in the nanoparticles as a function of their geometry and composition is calculated using the finite-element method. The stability of the remarkable centered core-shell morphology experimentally observed is attributed to the weak elastic energy resulting from the low misfit at the Fe/Au (100) interface compared to the surface energy contribution.
Keywords: PVD growth; core−shell nanocrystals; equilibrium structure; iron−gold epitaxy; transmission electron microscopy.