Abstract
In the last decade, a reversed growth route has been found in many crystal growth processes. In these systems, a single crystal does not develop from a single nucleus. The precursor molecules/ions or nanocrystallites aggregate into some large amorphous or polycrystalline particles. Multiple-nucleation on the surface of the amorphous particles or surface re-crystallization of the polycrystalline particles then takes place, forming a single crystal shell with a regular morphology. Finally, the crystallization extends from the surface to the core to form single crystals. This non-classical crystal growth route often results in some special morphologies, such as core-shell structures, hollow single crystals, sandwich structures, etc. This article gives a brief review of the research into reversed crystal growth and demonstrates that investigation of detailed mechanisms of crystal growth enables us to better understand the formation of many novel morphologies of the crystals. Some unsolved problems are also discussed.
Highlights
Crystal growth is a magical phenomenon in nature
The microstructures matches an important process in the reversed crystal growth, aggregation of nanocrystallites followed by surface re-crystallization forming a core-shell structure
Since the first report of reversed crystal growth in the synthesis of zeolite analcime [11], this non-classical crystallization has been found in many inorganic materials
Summary
Crystal growth is a magical phenomenon in nature. Originally separated atoms, ions or molecules can join together with a certain composition, in definite geometric relations, to form a defined crystal structure. Crystals with a polyhedral morphology are generated by slow growing faces because the fast growing faces grow out so are not displayed in the final crystal habit Another is thermodynamic approach as elucidated by Curie and Wulff [5,6]. The resulting novel morphologies, e.g., dendrites, hollow crystals, etc., often cannot be explained by using a classical growth route. For a developed single crystal in a classical growth route, the growth direction is from its center, the location of the nucleus, to its surface. Since the previous reviews of this field several years ago [9,10], the reversed crystal growth route has been found in the growth of many more materials. In the present review, published results are discussed in order to unearth some general rules of reversed crystal growth
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