Nucleation and Growth Kinetics from LaMer Burst Data

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• LaMer burst nucleation involves simultaneous nucleation events under homogeneous conditions, crucial for monodispersed particle synthesis.
• Previous models suggested nucleation number is independent of nucleation kinetics, depending solely on solute supply and growth rates.
• Experimental and theoretical discrepancies question the precise roles of nucleation, growth, and solute supply kinetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rigorously analyze the coupled equations governing solute and nuclei concentrations in LaMer burst nucleation.
• To re-evaluate the factors controlling the number of nuclei generated during burst nucleation.
• To investigate the influence of nucleation kinetics on particle size distribution and provide a method for testing nucleation models.

Main Methods:

• Coupled differential equations describing solute and nuclei concentrations were analyzed.
• Theoretical modeling was employed to derive relationships between nucleation parameters.
• Simulations were performed to explore systems with varying growth kinetics.

Main Results:

• The number of nuclei is primarily governed by solute supply and growth rates, but the exact relationship differs from prior predictions.
• Nucleus size-dependent corrections are significant in systems exhibiting slow growth kinetics.
• Nucleation kinetics were shown to directly influence the resulting particle size distribution.

Conclusions:

• The number of nuclei in LaMer burst nucleation is robustly linked to solute supply and growth rates, with specific corrections for slow growth.
• Particle size distribution serves as a critical experimental observable for validating theoretical models of homogeneous nucleation kinetics.
• This work refines the understanding of burst nucleation, impacting the controlled synthesis of nanoparticles.