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This review discusses glass and mineral dissolution in terms of traditional kinetic studies, and how nanometre-sized cluster oxide ions are now being used to gain mechanistic insight into the structural dynamics that take place during the dissolution process.
Control of the formation of nanostructures during their synthesis can be achieved using either equilibrium conditions, such as in nanostructure templating, or non-equilibrium conditions, such as in reaction–diffusion systems. This review analyses the different method types with the aim of producing guidelines for the rational design of hybrid organic–inorganic nanostructures.