About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
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Characterization of Minerals, Metals and Materials 2026 - In-Situ Characterization Techniques
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| Presentation Title |
Multiscale Insights into Nanoparticle Aggregation and Oriented Attachment: From Crystal Structure to Collective Assembly |
| Author(s) |
Lili Liu, Elias Nakouzi, Maria N/A Sushko , Xin N/A Zhang, carolyn I. Pearce , Jaehun N/A Chun, James J De Yoreo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Lili Liu |
| Abstract Scope |
In this talk, I present an integrated study of two representative systems: boehmite (γ-AlOOH), a layered orthorhombic crystal, and ZnO, a polar hexagonal wurtzite structure. These distinct crystallographic features underlie contrasting but complementary assembly mechanisms. For boehmite, we show that the anisotropic plate-like morphology and surface hydroxyl distributions lead to pH-dependent facet-selective aggregation, with attachment preferentially occurring along the (010) and (101) planes. This behavior is explained through a multiscale framework that links molecular-scale surface reactivity to electrostatic potential distributions and particle-scale interaction forces. For ZnO, in situ liquid phase TEM observations reveal that long-range alignment prior to contact is driven by a combination of dipolar interactions and ion-solvent electrostatics—interactions rooted in the polar lattice and asymmetric facet terminations of ZnO. Together, these studies highlight how intrinsic crystal structure—orthorhombic versus hexagonal, nonpolar versus polar—governs surface charge anisotropy, interaction potentials, and ultimately the pathways of nanoparticle assembly. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Nuclear Materials, Nanotechnology |