Kinetically Controlled Sequential Seeded Growth: A General Route to Crystals with Different Hierarchies

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Crystallography
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Natural materials exhibit remarkable properties due to hierarchical structures.
• Synthesizing similar hierarchical structures in inorganic materials is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general bottom-up strategy for creating hierarchical inorganic crystals.
• To demonstrate the versatility of kinetically controlled sequential seeded growth.

Main Methods:

• Sequential seeded growth with kinetically controlled metal deposition.
• Modification of reaction conditions (pH, halide concentration) to alter deposition kinetics.
• Preparation of 85 distinct hierarchical crystals with varied features and compositions.

Main Results:

• Achieved diverse hierarchical inorganic crystals with controlled shapes, compositions, and symmetries.
• Demonstrated that deposition kinetics dictate concave or convex feature formation.
• Showcased the method's applicability across different inorganic material classes.

Conclusions:

• Kinetically controlled sequential seeded growth is a generalizable bottom-up strategy for hierarchical crystal synthesis.
• This approach mimics natural material organization for synthetic systems.
• Provides a new paradigm for designing advanced inorganic materials.