Volume 54, Issue 7 pp. 2022-2051
Review

Thermodynamics versus Kinetics in Nanosynthesis

Yawen Wang

Yawen Wang

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hongyuchen/

Search for more papers by this author
Jiating He

Jiating He

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hongyuchen/

Search for more papers by this author
Cuicui Liu

Cuicui Liu

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hongyuchen/

Search for more papers by this author
Wen Han Chong

Wen Han Chong

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hongyuchen/

Search for more papers by this author
Prof. Hongyu Chen

Corresponding Author

Prof. Hongyu Chen

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hongyuchen/

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hongyuchen/Search for more papers by this author
First published: 23 December 2014
Citations: 434

Graphical Abstract

Understanding starts with distinction: Distinguishing between the thermodynamically and kinetically controlled scenarios is of critical importance when analyzing the complex phenomena in nanosynthesis, such as the growth of nanoparticles, their aggregation, and the shape evolution of polymer nanostructures. The processes are examined in detail in this Review and the mechanistic proposals are categorized in the common framework of thermodynamics and kinetics.

Abstract

One may discover a stone tool by chance but it takes more than luck to make a car or cell phone. With the advance of nanoscience, the synthesis of increasingly sophisticated nanostructures demands a rational design and a systems approach. In this Review, we advocate the distinction between thermodynamically and kinetically controlled scenarios, that is, whether a product forms because it is the most stable state or because the pathway leading to it has the lowest energy barrier. Great endeavours have been made to describe the multiple concurrent processes in typical nanosynthesis phenomena, so that the mechanistic proposals in the literature are brought into a common framework for easy contrast and comparison.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.