Dissolution and growth mechanisms of minerals as an indicator of climatic and environmental changes: In situ hot/cool stage AFM study at a nano level

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We attempted developing a new cool-stage AFM, designed for AFM studies at low or reduced temperatures, and applying hot/cool-stage AFM setup to in situ observations of mineral growth and dissolution at elevated and reduced temperatures, to better understand for the microscopic growth and dissolution mechanisms and kinetics of minerals in solutions at various temperatures. Our hot/cool-stage AFM setup makes it possible to perform in situ observations of mineral growth and dissolution reactions at 4C - 60C. In situ AFM observations of the barite dissolution in water and NaCl solutions allowed us to estimate the retreat rates of various steps and the growth rates of etch pits and to elucidate the effects of temperature on the dissolution rates. In situ cool-stage AFM observations of the growth on the barite (001) surface revealed the effects of temperature and super-saturation of the solution on the growth rates of islands and growth spirals, and the surface nucleation rate.