In situ measurement of crystal surface dynamics in pure and contaminated solutions by Confocal Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy

Abstract

Impurities are omnipresent during crystallization from solution, both in the lab and in natural environments. Unravelling the mechanisms of impurity effects during crystal growth contributes to the general understanding of crystallization processes and our ability to control it. One way of obtaining information on the impurity mechanisms is to observe the interaction of these foreign species with the growth sites in situ, if possible at a molecular level. At present several optical based techniques are being employed for this type of research. In this chapter, the application of two popular methods in the area of crystal growth observation, atomic force microscopy and confocal microscopy, will be discussed, pointing out the strong points of each technique illustrated with examples from literature and the authors own work. The aim of this chapter is to show experimentalists, venturing into the field of crystal growth, the wide array of research possibilities these techniques offer for exploring the intriguing world of impurity interactions with crystalline materials.

Real-Time Measurement of Protein Crystal Growth Rates within the Microfluidic Device to Understand the Microspace Effect

“…We found the lysozyme crystal growth behavior to be influenced by supersaturation conditions; according to literature, supersaturation affects the crystal growth rate, preferential growth face, and orientation crystal surface. 32 , 33 A tetragonal lysozyme crystal exhibits two typical crystal facets, the {1 0 1} face and the {1 1 0} face, as shown in Figure 3 (insets). The {1 0 1} face is preferentially grown in low supersaturation; thus, the {1 1 0} face was oriented parallel to the substrate.…”

High mobility of lattice molecules and defects during the early stage of protein crystallization

“…Step movement on the crystal surface, and the accompanying changes in crystal thickness, cannot have a significant effect on the paired areas of bright and dark contrast. This is because the typical shape of elementary and macro-step patterns on the crystal surface of orthorhombic 38 and tetragonal crystals 39,40 do not correspond to those of the areas of the contrast observed by LC-TEM. It is also difficult to envisage that a crystal block can diffuse through the bulk of a crystal lattice.…”

Quantitative Analysis of Nanoscale Step Dynamics in High-Temperature Solution-Grown Single Crystal 4H-SiC via In Situ Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope

“…In fact, so far there have been many attempts at developing experimental microscopic techniques for such in situ nanocale observations; however, they are limited to low-temperature solution growth systems (typically less than 300 °C). Examples include phase contrast microscopy, , laser microscopy combined with differential interference contrast microscopy, − phase shift interferometry, − and atomic force microscopy (AFM), ,− for various techniques for growing bulk crystals of inorganic salts and organic compounds from solutions. On the other hand, the nanoscale observation of crystal growth dynamics in a high-temperature solution (e.g., >1000 °C for oxides and carbides) has been hampered by the lack of any suitable experimental technique.…”