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Atomic Dislocations and Bond Rupture Govern Dissolution Enhancement under Acoustic Stimulation
Longwen Tang1, Shiqi Dong2,3,4, Ross Arnold2,4
1Physics of AmoRphous and Inorganic Solids Laboratory (PARISlab), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|December 1, 2020
Summary
Acoustic stimulation, or sonication, enhances mineral dissolution by inducing atomic dislocations and bond rupture. This study reveals the atomistic mechanisms driving this green chemistry process across diverse minerals.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Acoustic stimulation (sonication) offers green chemistry pathways to accelerate chemical reactions.
- The precise atomistic mechanisms by which sonication enhances mineral dissolution are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the atomistic mechanisms responsible for acoustic stimulation-enhanced mineral dissolution.
- To develop a unifying model for sonication's effect on mineral reactivity.
Main Methods:
- Nanoscale surface topography observations using vertical scanning interferometry.
- Mineral dissolution rate quantification via inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.
- Classical molecular dynamics simulations to probe atomistic interactions.
Main Results:
- Acoustic fields enhance mineral dissolution rates across minerals with varying hardness, surface energy, and stacking fault energy.
- Dissolution enhancement is driven by induced atomic dislocations and/or atomic bond rupture.
- The dominant mechanism depends on the mineral's specific mechanical properties.
Conclusions:
- Acoustic stimulation promotes mineral dissolution through mechanical effects at the atomic level.
- A unifying model is proposed to explain sonication-driven mineral dissolution.
- Understanding these mechanisms can optimize green chemistry applications in mineral processing.
Keywords:
acoustic stimulationactivation energyatomic bond rupturemineral dissolutionmolecular dynamics simulationsMore Related Videos
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