Using a transmission electron microscope, scientists “dissolved” defects as they formed on the dolomite crystal, speeding up its growth process. Understanding how these minerals form could ...

“If we understand how dolomite grows in nature, we might learn new strategies to promote the crystal growth of modern technological materials,” said corresponding author Wenhao Sun of the ...

This allowed them to model dolomite crystal growth using the principles of quantum mechanics. As a result of their simulations, the researchers spotted a key step in the dolomite growth process that ...

When minerals form in water, atoms usually deposit neatly onto an edge of the growing crystal surface. However, the growth edge of dolomite consists of alternating rows of calcium and magnesium.

“If we understand how dolomite grows in nature, we might learn new strategies to promote the crystal growth of modern technological materials,” said corresponding author Wenhao Sun of the ...

The key to finally growing dolomite in the lab lay in eliminating defects in the mineral’s structure as it formed. When minerals develop in water, atoms typically deposit in an orderly fashion on one ...

The scientists note that when minerals form in water, atoms usually deposit neatly onto the edge of the growing crystal surface. However, the growth edge of dolomite consists of alternating rows ...

Using a transmission electron microscope, scientists “dissolved” defects as they formed on the dolomite crystal, speeding up its growth process. Understanding how these minerals form could unlock ...