Magnetic nanomaterials record information as fast as picoseconds in computer memories but retain it for millions of years in ancient rocks. This exceedingly broad range of times is covered by hopping over a potential energy barrier through temperature, ultrafast optical excitation, mechanical stress, or microwaves. As switching depends on nanoparticle size, shape, orientation, and material properties, only single-nanoparticle studies can eliminate the ensemble heterogeneity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe nanoscale morphology of metal nanostructures directly defines their optical, catalytic and electronic properties and even small morphological changes can cause significant property variations. On the one hand, this dependence allows for precisely tuning and exploring properties by shape engineering; next to advanced synthesis protocols, post-synthesis modification through tailored laser modification has become an emerging tool to do so. On the other hand, with this interconnection also comes the quest for detailed structure-property correlation and understanding of laser-induced reshaping processes on the individual nanostructure level beyond ensemble averages.
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