Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Materials

Chemistry In Pictures

Chemistry in Pictures: Crystalline dream

by Alexandra Taylor
September 20, 2018

 

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.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.