Topological evolution of cerium(III) molybdate microflake assemblies induced by amino acids

In this work, cerium(III) molybdate microspheres configured as microflakes were synthesized in the presence of lysine via a hydrothermal process. We studied the role of lysine and other amino acids on the morphologic control of cerium(III) molybdate crystals. First, with the increase of lysine, thinner microflakes and smaller microspheres are obtained. Moreover, a transformation in topology of cerium(III) molybdate assemblies from three-dimensional (3D) into two-dimensional (2D) can be ascribed to controlled nucleation and growth of cerium(III) molybdate induced by lysine. Second, amino acids with strong hydrophilic “R” groups tend to induce nucleation and result in spherical assemblies formed by nanoparticles or nanoflakes, while those with weaker hydrophilic “R” groups tend to induce growth and yield spherical assemblies of microflakes.

With the increasing amount of lysine, the self-assembly of microflakes changed from three-dimensional to two-dimensional topology.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide