Amorphous aggregates with a very wide size distribution play a central role in crystal nucleation Zhiyu Liao 1 , Ankita Das 1 , Christina Glen Robb 2 , Rebecca Beveridge 2 , Klaas Wynne 1* 1 School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, UK, 2 Dept. of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK Crystal nucleation plays a critical role in the production of industrially relevant materials and fundamental research but control is lacking. Classical theory assumes crystal nucleation is governed by the formation of primitive nuclei through the attachment/detachment of molecules. More recent work strongly suggested that crystals nucleate through a non-classical process in which many precursors form, which join to form a crystal nucleus. Here, we show that instead supersaturated solutions form amorphous aggregates, which are the sites of crystal nucleation. Surprisingly, the aggregates have a vast range of sizes from molecular to mesoscopic. This is at odds with both classical nucleation theory and non-classical nucleation theories, requiring a revision of the theory of crystal nucleation. References 1. Z. Liao, K. Wynne, A Metastable Amorphous Intermediate Is Responsible for Laser-Induced Nucleation of Glycine. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 6727–6733 (2022). 2. Z. Liao, A. Das, C. G. Robb, R. Beveridge, and K. Wynne. Amorphous aggregates with a very wide size distribution play a central role in crystal nucleation.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. Under review (2023)
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