Oriented attachment: an effective mechanism in the formation of anisotropic nanocrystals.

In this article, we report the formation of dispersed anisotropic nanostructures by the oriented attachment mechanism, under hydrothermal conditions and in a system that all other growth processes are improbable. The comparison of dilute and agglomerated experimental conditions indicate that oriented attachment is an effective mechanism for the formation of anisotropic nanocrystals, and the conclusions can be extended to other nanometric systems.