Structural Rearrangement Followed by Entrapment of Subnanometer Building Blocks of Iron Oxyhydroxide in Aqueous Iron...

Iron oxyhydroxide, a natural nanophase of iron found in the environment, plays a crucial role in regulating surface and groundwater composition. Recent research proposes that within the nonclassical prenucleation cluster growth model, subnanometer-sized clusters (olation clusters/Fe₁₃ δ-Keggin oxolation clusters) might act as the prenucleation clusters (PNCs) of ferrihydrite or iron oxyhydroxide solid phase. However, these clusters are difficult to characterize as they are only observable momentarily in low-pH, high-Fe concentration solutions before agglomerating into extended solids, keeping the controversy over the true nature of the PNCs alive. In this study, we introduce large quantities of zinc acetate salt (ZA) into iron chloride solutions at the olation-oxolation boundary (3.6 mM Fe³⁺ at pH ∼2.6). Remarkably, this manipulation is found to alter the structural arrangement of these subnanometer clusters before blocking them in isolation for hours, even at pH 6, where extended iron oxyhydroxide phases typically precipitate. On the other hand, controlled addition of ZA allows partial unblocking, leading to anisotropic agglomeration into cylindrical rod-like structures. Experimental techniques such as synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cryo-TEM, along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, reveal the nature of the structural rearrangement and the crucial role of Zn²⁺ ions in cluster stabilization.