A low-dimensional crystal growth model on an isotropic and quasi-free sustained substrate**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11374082 and 51671048) and the Ten Thousand Talents Plan of Zhejiang Province of China (Grant No. 2018R52003).

Abstract

A new crystal growth theoretical model is established for the low-dimensional nanocrystals on an isotropic and quasi-free sustained substrate. The driven mechanism of the model is based on the competitive growth among the preferential growth directions of the crystals possessing anisotropic crystal structures, such as the hexagonal close-packed and wurtzite structures. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings in the growth process of the low-dimensional Zn nanocrystals on silicone oil surfaces. Our model shows a growth mechanism of various low-dimensional crystals on/in the isotropic substrates.