The surface energy cannot be assigned to each direction in low-symmetry crystals, making it impossible to predict their shapes by any known methods. Now, combining incomputable energies in an algebraic system, complemented by closure equations, it is possible to predict the equilibrium shape of any crystal.
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References
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This is a summary of: Wang, L. et al. Defining shapes of two-dimensional crystals with undefinable edge energies. Nat. Comput. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-022-00347-5 (2022).
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Predicting the shape of crystals with ‘unknowable’ surface energies. Nat Comput Sci 2, 705–706 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-022-00356-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-022-00356-4
