Three-dimensional oriented attachment growth of single-crystal pre-perovskite PbTiO3 hollowed fibers

Hollowed single-crystal pre-perovskite PbTiO fibers (PP-PTF) were successfully synthesized via a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) assisted hydrothermal process. The as-prepared PP-PTF were characterized to be 0.3-1 μm in diameter and tens of micrometers in length by adjusting the concentration of PVA to 0.8 g L. Microstructure characterization of the samples at different reaction times revealed that PP-PTF were formed via a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical oriented attachment (OA) growth process. The initial growth units were determined to be single-crystal pre-perovskite PbTiO fibers with a diameter of 10-20 nm. Zeta potential measurement suggested that the main driving force of the OA process is the surface electrostatic force, which is induced by the incompletely bonded Pb and O atomic layers on the surface of the {110} plane. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to reveal a stable configuration of the initial pre-perovskite PbTiO growth units, agreeing well with the experimental results.