Bimetallic catalysts can undergo segregation or redistribution of the metals
driven by oxidizing and reducing environments. Bragg coherent diffraction
imaging (BCDI) was used to relate displacement fields to compositional
distributions in crystalline Pt-Rh alloy nanoparticles. 3D images of internal
composition showed that the radial distribution of compositions reverses
partially between the surface shell and the core when gas flow changes between
O2 and H2. Our observation suggests that the elemental segregation of
nanoparticle catalysts should be highly active during heterogeneous catalysis
and can be a controlling factor in synthesis of electrocatalysts. In addition,
our study exemplifies applications of BCDI for in situ 3D imaging of internal
equilibrium compositions in other bimetallic alloy nanoparticles