Correlation between Anisotropy and Lattice Distortions in Single Crystal Calcite Nanowires Grown in Confinement

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2014-07, Vol.10 (13), p.2697-2702
• Main Authors: Verch, Andreas, Côté, Alexander S., Darkins, Robert, Kim, Yi-Yeoun, van de Locht, Renée, Meldrum, Fiona C., Duffy, Dorothy M., Kröger, Roland
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anisotropy; Calcite; calcite nanowires; Confinement; crystallography; finite element simulations; Lattices; Mathematical analysis; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Nanowires; Single crystals; transmission electron microscopy
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201303839

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. Single crystal calcite nanowires grown in confinement reveal the importance of surface stress and anisotropy for the elastic properties of such structures. Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction in conjunction with finite element simulations are employed to quantify lattice rotations in these nanostructures and to identify an important mechanism for lattice distortions in defect free nanowires.