Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 113, Issue 48, Pages 13618-13623Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1604938113
Keywords
multipath nucleation; liquid-droplet levitation; supersaturation; in situ X-ray diffraction; in situ micro-Raman spectroscopy
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Funding
- Converging Research Center Program through the Ministry of Science, Information and Communications Technology and Future Planning, Korea [NRF-2014M3C1A8048818, NRF-2014M1A7A1A01030128]
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Solution studies have proposed that crystal nucleation can take more complex pathways than previously expected in classical nucleation theory, such as formation of prenucleation clusters or densified amorphous/liquid phases. These findings show that it is possible to separate fluctuations in the different order parameters governing crystal nucleation, that is, density and structure. However, a direct observation of the multipathways from aqueous solutions remains a great challenge because heterogeneous nucleation sites, such as container walls, can prevent these paths. Here, we demonstrate the existence of multiple pathways of nucleation in highly supersaturated aqueous KH2PO4 (KDP) solution using the combination of a containerless device (electrostatic levitation), and in situ micro-Raman and synchrotron X-ray scattering. Specifically, we find that, at an unprecedentedly deep level of supersaturation, a high-concentration KDP solution first transforms into a metastable crystal before reaching stability at room temperature. However, a low-concentration solution, with different local structures, directly transforms into the stable crystal phase. These apparent multiple pathways of crystallization depend on the degree of supersaturation.
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