A highly strained nanostructure comprising crystallographically aligned HgTe nanoinclusions and a surrounding PbTe matrix has been synthesized using a precipitation process of supersaturated HgTe-PbTe alloys. From the early precipitation stage, HgTe nanoinclusions take disk shape, which is transformed from initial HgTe nuclei, although there is no lattice constant difference of the two end components at standard state. As a primary reason for the morphological transformation of the initial spherical HgTe nuclei to HgTe nanodisks, the induced lattice mismatch is suggested. On the condition that the HgTe nanodisks maintain perfect coherent nature with PbTe matrix, the stress-free lattice constant of constrained HgTe nanodisks has been calculated based on the defined concept of the strain-induced tetragonality, the linear elasticity and the actual measurement in HRTEM images.
