Crystallization of SrCO3 on a self-assembled monolayer substrate: an in-situ synchrotron X-ray study

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols on gold surfaces show grea t promise in controlling the nucleation and growth of inorganic minerals fr om solution. In doing so, they mimic the role of some biogenic macromolecul es in natural biomineralisation processes. Crystallization on SAM surfaces is usually monitored ex-situ; by allowing the process to commence and to ev olve for some time, removing the substrate from the mother solution, and th en examining it using microscopy, diffraction etc. We present here for the first time, the use of high energy monochromatic synchrotron X-radiation in conjunction with a two dimensional detector to monitor in situ, in a time resolved fashion, the growth of SrCO3 (strontianite) crystals on a SAM subs trate.