IN-SITU INVESTIGATION ON GROWTH AND DISSOLUTION OF CRYSTALS IN AQUEOUS-SOLUTION

In-situ observation methods to investigate the physics involved in gro wth and dissolution processes of crystals in aqueous solution at ordin ary temperature and pressure are described. The methods visualize in-s itu the phenomena relating to clustering of nanometer sized embryonic particles, the mass transport from bulk solution and from a crystal, t he concentration gradient in the diffusion boundary layer and its dist ribution around a crystal, and spiral growth steps with height of one nanometer. The techniques measure at the nanometer scale the growth an d dissolution rates of individual spiral growth hillocks and etch pits whose dislocation characters are identified in-situ.