Special Feature
Snapshot: In the Eye of the Beholder
The shape of gold nanostructures changes depending on how they are imaged.
IFJ PAN
This electron-microscope image shows a nanosized cube wrapped in a gold layer. The tiny package is the result of reactions between gold-containing acid and copper oxide nanocubes. But the picture changes when viewed in a different light. Researchers imaged the same reaction with an x-ray microscope and found that the resulting objects were hollow gold boxes. The explanation for the discrepancy is that the x rays and electrons affect the acid environment differently, impacting how much of the copper oxide dissolves away [1].
Snapshot articles highlight eye-catching images from across physics.
—M.R.S.
References
- B. Alavi et al., “Electrons make shells, photons make boxes: Unmasking radiation chemistry in liquid-phase imaging,” Small e75209 (2026).