Non-classical growth of crystals: Drip by drip
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 17:21
in Physics & Chemistry
How do crystals grow? The answer given in current textbooks is: Layer by layer atoms or molecules settle on an existing crystal surface. Chemists have now observed a preliminary stage of this crystal growth in glutamic acid that contradicts this classical principal of growth. Not individual atoms settle on an existing crystal surface, but nano-drips that already contain building blocks for growth.