Fig. 7. Wrapping affords aggregates of individually wrapped particles which can be disrupted through the addition of imidazole. TEM images of (a) Ni@SiNPs, (b) aggregates of individually wrapped particles prior to imidazole addition and (c) monodisperse, individually wrapped particles following imidazole addition. Following nanoparticle deposition, TEM grids were stained with uranyl acetate contrast agent to allow visualisation of the polymer layer. The images highlight both the increase in colloidal stability upon imidazole addition and the increase in particle size upon addition of the ‘wrapping agent’. Particle diameters (D) shown are mean values of a random range of 20 particles in each state and were obtained via image analysis relative to the scale bars indicated on each image. Below the TEM images are representations of the particles in each state.
