Crystallization of micrometer-sized particles with molecular contours.

The crystallization of micrometer-sized particles with shapes mimicking those of tetrabenzoheptacene (TBH) and 1,2:5,6-dibenzanthracene (DBT), both flat polyacenes, in an electric field results in the formation of ordered 2D packings that mimic the plane group symmetries in their respective molecular crystal equivalents. Whereas the particles packed in low-density disordered arrangements under a gravitational gradient, dielectrophoresis (under an ac electric field) produced ordered high-density packings with readily identifiable plane group symmetry. The ordered colloidal assemblies were stable for hours, with the packing density decreasing slowly but with recognizable symmetry for up to 12 h for the TBH-shaped particles and up to 4 h for the DBT-shaped particles.

Mass transfer limitations at crystallizing interfaces in an atomic force microscopy fluid cell: a finite element analysis.

Although atomic force microscopy (AFM) has emerged as the preeminent experimental tool for real-time in situ measurements of crystal growth processes in solution, relatively little is known about the mass transfer limitations that may impact these measurements. We present a continuum analysis of flow and mass transfer in an atomic force microscope fluid cell during crystal growth, using data acquired from calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystal growth measurements as a comparison. Steady-state flows and solute concentration fields are computed using a three-dimensional, finite element method implemented on a parallel supercomputer.