Li Junjie, Deepak Francis Leonard
Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Devices for Special Environments, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Materials and Devices, 40-1 South Beijing Road, Urumqi830011, China.
Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China.
Chem Rev. 2022 Dec 14;122(23):16911-16982. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c01067. Epub 2022 Nov 8.
Nucleation and growth are critical steps in crystallization, which plays an important role in determining crystal structure, size, morphology, and purity. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of nucleation and growth is crucial to realize the controllable fabrication of crystalline products with desired and reproducible properties. Based on classical models, the initial crystal nucleus is formed by the spontaneous aggregation of ions, atoms, or molecules, and crystal growth is dependent on the monomer's diffusion and the surface reaction. Recently, numerous investigations on crystallization dynamics have uncovered the existence of nonclassical mechanisms. This review provides a summary and highlights the studies of crystal nucleation and growth, with a particular emphasis on the state-of-the-art research progress since the year 2016, and includes technological advances, atomic-scale observations, substrate- and temperature-dependent nucleation and growth, and the progress achieved in the various materials: metals, alloys, metallic compounds, colloids, and proteins. Finally, the forthcoming opportunities and challenges in this fascinating field are discussed.
成核和生长是结晶过程中的关键步骤，这在决定晶体结构、尺寸、形态和纯度方面起着重要作用。因此，了解成核和生长机制对于实现具有所需和可重复性质的晶体产品的可控制备至关重要。基于经典模型，初始晶核由离子、原子或分子的自发聚集形成，晶体生长取决于单体的扩散和表面反应。最近，对结晶动力学的大量研究揭示了非经典机制的存在。本综述对晶体成核和生长的研究进行了总结并突出了重点，特别强调了自2016年以来的最新研究进展，包括技术进步、原子尺度观察、与底物和温度相关的成核和生长，以及在各种材料（金属、合金、金属化合物、胶体和蛋白质）中取得的进展。最后，讨论了这个迷人领域即将面临的机遇和挑战。
