Takayuki Nakamuro, Masaya Sakakibara, Hiroki Nada, Koji Harano, and Eiichi Nakamura*
Cite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX
Publication Date:January 21, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c12100
© 2021 American Chemical Society
Crystallization is the process of atoms or molecules forming an organized solid via nucleation and growth. Being intrinsically stochastic, the research at an atomistic level has been a huge experimental challenge. We report herein in situ detection of a crystal nucleus forming during nucleation/growth of a NaCl nanocrystal, as video recorded in the interior of a vibrating conical carbon nanotube at 20–40 ms frame–1 with localization precision of <0.1 nm. We saw NaCl units assembled to form a cluster fluctuating between featureless and semiordered states, which suddenly formed a crystal. Subsequent crystal growth at 298 K and shrinkage at 473 K took place also in a stochastic manner. Productive contributions of the graphitic surface and its mechanical vibration have been experimentally indicated.
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