Vacancies in sulfides facilitate fluid-induced solid-state diffusion and critical metals accumulation
Zheng-Jie Qiu1,2, Yanlu Xing3,4, Joël Brugger4
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric and Environmental Coevolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. qiuzhj@mail.iggcas.ac.cn.
Nature Communications
|February 20, 2025
Summary
Cobalt (Co) release from minerals is key to metal accumulation. This study reveals steady-state diffusion, accelerated by vacancies, efficiently mobilizes metals during ore formation.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry
- Mineral Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Understanding element mobilization in minerals is vital for critical metal accumulation.
- Mechanisms of element release from source rocks at the atomic scale are poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distribution and mobilization mechanisms of cobalt (Co) in natural pyrite.
- To elucidate the kinetics of element release at the atomic scale.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cobalt distribution in natural pyrite from a Cu-Co ore deposit.
- First-principles calculations and diffusion modeling.
- Comparison of steady-state and transient-state diffusion models.
Main Results:
- Metal distribution in pyrite is best described by steady-state diffusion with constant flux.
- Vacancy pathways significantly accelerate diffusion, increasing transfer rates by two orders of magnitude.
- Diffusion is more efficient than traditional vacancy-mediated lattice diffusion.
Conclusions:
- Steady-state lattice diffusion, enhanced by vacancies in fluid-present conditions, is an efficient mechanism for metal release.
- This process promotes preferential metal release into ore fluids and metal accumulation during ore formation.
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