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Large crystals that grow in water often form from tiny, continuously attached nanocrystals. During attachment, these tiny particles attach to the surface, like LEGO bricks. A little torque is needed to rotate the particles into the attachment position. By measuring and calculating the forces that provide this pair, the researchers found that water plays a larger role than expected. Templates of water on the surfaces of the particles, organizing into structures that reach the incoming particles, telling them how to align optimally for fixation, to assemble them into larger crystals. As these oriented particles are brought closer together, the intermediate water structures dissociate, allowing the particles to mate.
Why study the attachment of particles? Understanding this allows for more accurate predictions of when minerals will form and when they will not. This knowledge helps geoscientists extract energy resources and eliminate waste. It is also crucial in the design of nanoscale materials. The materials are used in electronic devices, catalyst supports and energy storage. In these areas, water-based manufacturing processes can benefit. They become more efficient and durable than traditional ones.
Knowing how minerals are formed is essential for underground energy extraction and waste storage, thus creating tailored catalysts and so on. Minerals can be formed by attachment to particles, which involves repeatedly collecting particles until the appearance of large crystals, but researchers are still discovering when and how this occurs. During each step, a nano-sized particle attaches to the surface. As the particles settle, they expel the water between their surfaces. The forces involved in this process have not been definitively determined. The team measured and calculated the forces that provide the torque for alignment, operating at the atomic scale. In a zinc oxide system, they found that water organized on the surface of the particles. Water transmits structural data on the underlying surface to incoming particles. If the incoming particles are strongly misaligned, the water acts as a barrier to incorrect fixation, thus limiting the growth of defective crystals. Understanding the many roles of water in mineral formation offers benefits in geoscience and water-based materials design.
More information:
X. Zhang et al. Specific directional interaction forces underlying the growth of zinc oxide crystals by oriented attachment, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038 / s41467-017-00844-6
Large crystals that grow in water often form from tiny, continuously attached nanocrystals. During attachment, these tiny particles attach to the surface, like LEGO bricks. A little torque is needed to rotate the particles into the attachment position. By measuring and calculating the forces that provide this pair, the researchers found that water plays a larger role than expected. Templates of water on the surfaces of the particles, organizing into structures that reach the incoming particles, telling them how to align optimally for fixation, to assemble them into larger crystals. As these oriented particles are brought closer together, the intermediate water structures dissociate, allowing the particles to mate.
Why study the attachment of particles? Understanding this allows for more accurate predictions of when minerals will form and when they will not. This knowledge helps geoscientists extract energy resources and eliminate waste. It is also crucial in the design of nanoscale materials. The materials are used in electronic devices, catalyst supports and energy storage. In these areas, water-based manufacturing processes can benefit. They become more efficient and durable than traditional ones.
Knowing how minerals are formed is essential for underground energy extraction and waste storage, thus creating tailored catalysts and so on. Minerals can be formed by attachment to particles, which involves repeatedly collecting particles until the appearance of large crystals, but researchers are still discovering when and how this occurs. During each step, a nano-sized particle attaches to the surface. As the particles settle, they expel the water between their surfaces. The forces involved in this process have not been definitively determined. The team measured and calculated the forces that provide the torque for alignment, operating at the atomic scale. In a zinc oxide system, they found that water organized on the surface of the particles. Water transmits structural data on the underlying surface to incoming particles. If the incoming particles are strongly misaligned, the water acts as a barrier to incorrect fixation, thus limiting the growth of defective crystals. Understanding the many roles of water in mineral formation offers benefits in geoscience and water-based materials design.
More information:
X. Zhang et al. Specific directional interaction forces underlying the growth of zinc oxide crystals by oriented fixation, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038 / s41467-017-00844-6
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