Nonclassical Nucleation and Crystallization of LiNbO₃ Nanoparticles from the Aqueous Solvothermal Alkoxide Route

The exact molecular reaction pathway and crystallization mechanisms of LiNbO3 nanoparticles under solvothermal conditions are derived through extensive time- and temperature-resolved experiments allowing to track all the transient molecular and solid species. Starting with a simple mixing of Li/Nb ethoxides, water addition is used to promote condensation after ligand exchange with different co-solvents including alcohols and glycols of variable carbon-chain length. A nonclassical nucleation scheme is first demonstrated after the identification of new octanuclear complexes with a {Li4Nb4O10} core whose solvophobic interactions mediate their aggregation, thus, resulting in a colloidal gel at room-temperature. Upon heating, a more or less frustrated aggregation-mediated crystallization process is then evidenced leading to LiNbO3 nanocrystals of adjustable mean size between 20 and 100 nm. Such a fine control can be attributed to the variable Nb-OR (R = alkoxy/glycoxy ligand) binding interactions at the surface of crystalline intermediates. Demonstration of such a nonclassical nucleation process and crystallization mechanism for LiNbO3 not only sheds light on the entire growth process of multifunctional nanomaterials with non-perovskite crystalline structures, but also opens new avenues for the identification of novel bimetallic oxoclusters involved in the formation of several mixed oxides from the aqueous alkoxide route.