Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals

A combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to investigate the crystal growth mechanism of gibbsite (aluminium trihydroxide) in pure solutions. Under the conditions studied, the growth on the basal face of synthetic gibbsite prepared from sodiu...

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Main Authors: Freij, Sawsan, Parkinson, Gordon, Reyhani, Manijeh
Format: Journal Article
Published: Royal Society Chemistry 2004
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/11950
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author Freij, Sawsan
Parkinson, Gordon
Reyhani, Manijeh
author_facet Freij, Sawsan
Parkinson, Gordon
Reyhani, Manijeh
author_sort Freij, Sawsan
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description A combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to investigate the crystal growth mechanism of gibbsite (aluminium trihydroxide) in pure solutions. Under the conditions studied, the growth on the basal face of synthetic gibbsite prepared from sodium aluminate solution proceeds by a continuous birth and spread mechanism. The nuclei formed on the surface of the basal face of gibbsite grow both laterally and vertically, with lateral growth being much faster than vertical growth. Moreover, a remarkable cyclical, smooth→rough→smooth→rough process has been directly observed. The effect of alkali ions on the crystal growth of gibbsite has been investigated. Curved features and a growth hillock were observed for the first time on the basal face of gibbsite prepared from potassium aluminate solution; whereas, steps terminating within the plane and hexagonal shaped features tilted at an angle and related to the symmetry of the face were imaged on the basal faces of gibbsite prepared from sodium aluminate solution. The results suggest faster growth on the basal face of gibbsite prepared from potassium aluminate compared to that prepared from sodium aluminate, leading to the observed elongated morphology.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-119502017-09-13T16:04:16Z Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals Freij, Sawsan Parkinson, Gordon Reyhani, Manijeh A combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to investigate the crystal growth mechanism of gibbsite (aluminium trihydroxide) in pure solutions. Under the conditions studied, the growth on the basal face of synthetic gibbsite prepared from sodium aluminate solution proceeds by a continuous birth and spread mechanism. The nuclei formed on the surface of the basal face of gibbsite grow both laterally and vertically, with lateral growth being much faster than vertical growth. Moreover, a remarkable cyclical, smooth→rough→smooth→rough process has been directly observed. The effect of alkali ions on the crystal growth of gibbsite has been investigated. Curved features and a growth hillock were observed for the first time on the basal face of gibbsite prepared from potassium aluminate solution; whereas, steps terminating within the plane and hexagonal shaped features tilted at an angle and related to the symmetry of the face were imaged on the basal faces of gibbsite prepared from sodium aluminate solution. The results suggest faster growth on the basal face of gibbsite prepared from potassium aluminate compared to that prepared from sodium aluminate, leading to the observed elongated morphology. 2004 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/11950 10.1039/B312505J Royal Society Chemistry restricted
spellingShingle Freij, Sawsan
Parkinson, Gordon
Reyhani, Manijeh
Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
title Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
title_full Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
title_fullStr Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
title_full_unstemmed Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
title_short Atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
title_sort atomic force microscopy study of the growth mechnism of gibbsite crystals
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/11950