Direction-Specific Interactions Control Crystal Growth by Oriented Attachment

Abstract

Growing in Liquid: The ability to control the growth of materials at the nanometer scale is key to nanotechnology. Materials grown in liquids, however, are difficult to track on a particle-by-particle basis during growth. Two studies used an in situ liquid cell to follow the formation of larger nanoparticles or nanorods grown in solvents using high-resolution transmission electron microscopes. Liao et al. (p. 1011 ) watched platinum iron nanorods form from kinked chains of connected nanoparticles that gradually reoriented and straightened to form rigid rods. Li et al. (p. 1014 ) observed the coalescence of iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles through an oriented attachment mechanism, whereby two similar particles rotated until their corresponding crystal lattices aligned.