Correlation between anisotropy and lattice distortions in single crystal calcite nanowires grown in confinement.

Growing nanostructures in confinement allows for the control of their shape, size and structure, as required in many technological applications. We investigated the crystal structure and morphology of calcite nanowires, precipitated in the pores of track-etch membranes, by employing transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The data showed that the nanowires show no preferred growth orientation and that the crystallographic orientation rotated along the length of the nanowire, with lattice rotation angles of several degrees per micrometer. Finite element calculations indicated that the rotation is caused by the anisotropic crystallographic nature of the calcite mineral, the nanoscale diameter of the wires and the confined space provided by the membrane pore. This phenomenon should also be observed in other single crystal nanowires made from anisotropic materials, which could offer the potential of generating nanostructures with tailored optical, electronic and mechanical properties.

[1]  Bram Cantaert,et al.  Formation and Structure of Calcium Carbonate Thin Films and Nanofibers Precipitated in the Presence of Poly(Allylamine Hydrochloride) and Magnesium Ions , 2013, Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical Society.

[2]  Xiaojing Zheng,et al.  Effect of surface stress on the stiffness of micro/nanocantilevers: Nanowire elastic modulus measured by nano-scale tensile and vibrational techniques , 2013 .

[3]  T. Frauenheim,et al.  Electrically active screw dislocations in helical ZnO and Si nanowires and nanotubes. , 2012, ACS nano.

[4]  H. Christenson,et al.  Capillarity creates single-crystal calcite nanowires from amorphous calcium carbonate. , 2011, Angewandte Chemie.

[5]  Carmel Majidi,et al.  Tunable helical ribbons , 2011 .

[6]  H. Christenson,et al.  Amorphous Calcium Carbonate is Stabilized in Confinement , 2010 .

[7]  U. Steiner,et al.  Nanostructured Calcite Single Crystals with Gyroid Morphologies , 2009 .

[8]  Yi Cui,et al.  Formation of chiral branched nanowires by the Eshelby Twist. , 2008, Nature nanotechnology.

[9]  M A Meyers,et al.  Structure and mechanical properties of selected biological materials. , 2008, Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials.

[10]  Song Jin,et al.  Dislocation-Driven Nanowire Growth and Eshelby Twist , 2008, Science.

[11]  Gang Wang,et al.  Twisting of nanowires induced by anisotropic surface stresses , 2008 .

[12]  M. Higuchi,et al.  Metallo‐Supramolecular Polymers Based on Functionalized Bis‐terpyridines as Novel Electrochromic Materials , 2007 .

[13]  M. Beiner,et al.  Manipulating the crystalline state of pharmaceuticals by nanoconfinement. , 2007, Nano letters.

[14]  F. Meldrum,et al.  Designer Crystals: Single Crystals with Complex Morphologies , 2007 .

[15]  S. Berger,et al.  Nucleation and growth of single crystals with uniform crystallographic orientation inside alumina nanopores , 2007 .

[16]  N. Adir,et al.  Anisotropic lattice distortions in biogenic calcite induced by intra-crystalline organic molecules. , 2006, Journal of structural biology.

[17]  M. Toimil-Molares,et al.  Electrochemical fabrication of single-crystalline and polycrystalline Au nanowires: the influence of deposition parameters , 2006 .

[18]  Steve Weiner,et al.  Mollusk shell formation: a source of new concepts for understanding biomineralization processes. , 2006, Chemistry.

[19]  K. Gall,et al.  The Strength of Gold Nanowires , 2004 .

[20]  K. Gall,et al.  Atomistic simulation of the structure and elastic properties of gold nanowires , 2004 .

[21]  Zhong Lin Wang.  Zinc oxide nanostructures: growth, properties and applications , 2004 .

[22]  W. Haiss,et al.  Surface stress of clean and adsorbate-covered solids , 2001 .

[23]  J. D. Eshelby.  Screw Dislocations in Thin Rods , 1953 .

[24]  I. Aksay,et al.  Structure-Mechanical Property Relationships In A Biological Ceramic-Polymer Composite: Nacre , 1991 .