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Materials

Chemistry In Pictures

Chemistry in Pictures: Crystalline dream

by Alexandra Taylor
September 20, 2018
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Most Popular in Materials

 

A micrograph showing curved shards of crystals at 10x magnification.
Credit: Pamela Knoll

These polycrystalline aggregates of strontium carbonate formed when a basic solution of strontium and silicate ions reacted with carbon dioxide in the air. Pamela Knoll, a Ph.D. student at Florida State University took the image at 10× magnification using an inverted optical microscope. “These purely inorganic structures are referred to as biomorphs since their morphology resembles biological designs,” Knoll says. She is working to understand the growth mechanism of these crystalline microstructures. “By understanding how these structures form, we can control the final morphology and ultimately produce desired microparts quickly, cheaply, and efficiently,” she explains.

Submitted by Pamela Knoll

Do science. Take pictures. Win money. Enter our photo contest here.

Related C&EN Content:

What’s in fireworks, and what produces those colorful explosions?.

Geochemical precipitates may fool fossil hunters

Curvy crystals.

Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society

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