Abstract
Download options Please wait... Article information DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CE40983J Article type Paper Submitted 31 May 2013 Accepted 21 Oct 2013 First published 22 Nov 2013 This article is Open Access Download Citation CrystEngComm, 2014,16, 1451-1458 BibTex EndNote MEDLINE ProCite ReferenceManager RefWorks RIS Permissions Request permissions Aggregation-induced growth and transformation of β-FeOOH nanorods to micron-sized α-Fe2O3 spindles C. Frandsen, B. A. Legg, L. R. Comolli, H. Zhang, B. Gilbert, E. Johnson and J. F. Banfield, CrystEngComm, 2014, 16, 1451 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE40983J This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given. Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content. Social activity Tweet Share Search articles by author Cathrine Frandsen Benjamin A. Legg Luis R. Comolli Hengzhong Zhang Benjamin Gilbert Erik Johnson Jillian F. Banfield
Highlights
Intimate interconnection of crystal growth, aggregation and phase transformation seem common in the formation of nano- and microcrystalline materials from solutions
Ironoxides provide an interesting system for the development of models to explain linkages among aggregation, phase transformation and morphology development, because environmentally driven phase transitions and aggregation-based growth of ironoxides have been widely reported.[4,5,6]
Particles were aligned, but have not yet fused (Fig. 2a, c). Such aggregate-like particle morphologies with single-crystalline, low-angle or twin boundaries are often found in nanoparticle systems that grow by oriented aggregation.[22,23]
Summary
Intimate interconnection of crystal growth, (oriented) aggregation and phase transformation seem common in the formation of nano- and microcrystalline materials from solutions. Based on our cryo-TEM and additional X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and chemical data, we propose the following mechanism: first, formation of the early-stage hematite spindles is driven by phase stability change due to increase in size caused by oriented aggregation of akaganeite. Our growth model interprets experimental observations well and it resolves previous long-time debate over whether the hematite spindles are formed via classical Ostwald ripening or by oriented aggregation of hematite nanoparticles. This aggregation-based concurrent growth and transformation model may be applicable to crystal growth and phase transformation in other systems. CrystEngComm considerable debate as to whether the hematite particles form by aggregation of hematite nanoparticles[9,10,11] or instead by dissolution and reprecipitation.[8,12]
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