A kinetic model to describe nanocrystal growth by the oriented attachment mechanism.

The classical model of particle coagulation on colloids is revisited to evaluate its applicability on the oriented attachment of nanoparticles. The proposed model describes well the growth behavior of dispersed nanoparticles during the initial stages of nanoparticle synthesis and during growth induced by hydrothermal treatments. Moreover, a general model, which combines coarsening (i.e., Ostwald ripening) and oriented attachment effects, is proposed as an alternative to explain deviations between experimental results and existing theoretical models.