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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Optimization of Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular Crystallography
Published on: March 13, 2021
Tomato-like ZnO clusters with complex crystallization
Zijie Yan1, Kan Zhu, Wan Ping Chen
1Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China.
Abstract:
We report a new structure self-assembled by ZnO nanolayers, nanoplatelets and microparticles under one-pot condition without surfactants. The structure shows tomato-like morphology with hexagonal symmetry. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis indicates that the assembly is highly oriented. However, considering the nonuniformity of the subunits, the structure is much different from the commonly observed ZnO mesocrystals. The growth of the complex structure in the solution is proposed to relate to the evolution of the supersaturations and segregation of the intrinsic defects.
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