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Updated: Dec 20, 2025
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Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid
Published on: December 20, 2016
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Dissolution and Precipitation Dynamics at Environmental Mineral Interfaces Imaged by In Situ Atomic Force Microscopy
Lijun Wang1, Christine V Putnis2,3
1College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Accounts of Chemical Research
|May 23, 2020
Summary
This study reveals how mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions at the nanoscale control contaminant sequestration and nutrient recovery in aqueous environments. Real-time imaging clarifies coupled mineral-fluid reactions, crucial for environmental remediation and resource management.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry and Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Mineral-solution interfaces govern critical environmental processes like contaminant sequestration and nutrient cycling.
- Understanding nanoscale interfacial reactions is key to predicting and managing these processes.
- Current challenges lie in elucidating the mechanisms of mineral re-equilibration in aqueous phases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the coupled dissolution-precipitation processes at mineral-fluid interfaces using real-time nanoscale imaging.
- To elucidate the mechanisms controlling mineral re-equilibration and the fate of elements at the nanoscale.
- To provide quantitative insights into mineral-organic matter interactions for environmental applications.
Main Methods:
- Real-time nanoscale imaging using liquid-cell atomic force microscopy (AFM).
- Investigation of various minerals (e.g., calcite, siderite, goethite) in reacting aqueous fluids.
- Complementary analytical techniques including Raman spectroscopy, TEM, X-ray methods, geochemical modeling (PHREEQC), and density functional theory (DFT).
Main Results:
- Observed in situ replacement of parent mineral phases by product phases, revealing coupled dissolution-precipitation dynamics.
- Quantified dissolution rates and etch pit evolution on calcium phosphates in organic acid solutions.
- Determined binding energies of single molecules and mineral-natural organic matter interactions using dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS).
Conclusions:
- Coupled nanoscale mineral reactions facilitate sequestration of toxic elements and carbon, and influence nutrient recovery.
- Molecular-scale understanding of mineral-organic interactions explains precipitation, transformation, and adsorption phenomena.
- Findings enable more quantitative predictions for contaminant fate, element cycling, carbon capture, and nuclear waste storage.
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