Growth mechanism of nanocrystals in solution: ZnO, a case study

TL;DR

This study explores the growth mechanism of ZnO nanocrystals in solution, revealing a growth process that differs from traditional diffusion-controlled models and is influenced by temperature and reactant concentration.

Contribution

It introduces a new growth mechanism model that bridges diffusion-controlled and kinetic-controlled processes for nanocrystal formation.

Findings

Growth mechanism deviates from classical Ostwald ripening theory.

Experimental results align with an intermediate growth model.

Parameters like temperature and concentration significantly affect growth dynamics.

Abstract

We investigate the mechanism of growth of nanocrystals from solution using the case of ZnO. Spanning a wide range of values of the parameters, such as the temperature and the reactant concentration, that control the growth, our results establish a qualitative departure from the widely accepted diffusion controlled coarsening (Ostwald ripening) process quantified in terms of the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory. Further, we show that these experimental observations can be qualitatively and quantitatively understood within a growth mechanism that is intermediate between the two well-defined limits of diffusion control and kinetic control.