Oriented Attachment of Calcite Nanocrystals: Formation of Single-Crystalline Configurations as 3D Bundles via Lateral Stacking of 1D Chains

Nonclassical Pathway to Biomimetic Strained SrSO4 Crystals

Biomimetic strained SrSO4 crystals were produced through a nonclassical pathway involving fiber-by-fiber accumulation with poly(acrylic acid) in an aqueous solution system. Polymer-stabilized fibrous hydrate crystals 20–40 nm wide and several...

Biomimetic macroscopic mesocrystalline films produced by oriented assembly of nanorods under magnetic field

Millimeter-scale mesocrystals and cross-lamellae mimicking the nanostructure of seashells were produced on a substrate through the three-dimensionally oriented assembly of c-axis-elongated calcite nanorods ∼50 nm wide and ∼500-1000 nm long by combining arrangement with evaporation-driven capillary force and alignment under an intense magnetic field.

Evolution of Calcite Nanocrystals through Oriented Attachment and Fragmentation: Multistep Pathway Involving Bottom-Up and Break-Down Stages

A nonclassical multistep pathway involving bottom-up and break-down stages for the evolution of calcite nanograins ∼50 nm in size was demonstrated in a basic aqueous system. Calcite nanofibrils ∼10 nm wide were produced as the initial crystalline phase via amorphous calcium carbonate through ion-by-ion assembly by the carbonation of Ca(OH)₂ at a high pH of ∼13. Bundles ∼50 nm in diameter were then formed by the subsequent oriented attachment of the nanofibrils. Monodispersed calcite nanograins were finally obtained through spontaneous fragmentation of the fibrous forms via a decrease in pH by further carbonation.