The secrets of crystal growth
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
Lawrence Livermore researchers are using the atomic-force microscope (AFM) to elucidate the growth mechanisms and three-dimensional structures of widely different solution-based crystals on the nanometer (billionth-of-a-meter) scale. Much of the AFM work has been in support of the Laser Programs` need to better understand KDP (potassium dihydrogen phosphate) crystal growth because of its direct impact on advanced lasers such as the National Ignition Facility. A second avenue of research has focused on the growth of solution-based crystals of biological macromolecules, specifically the protein canavalin and the satellite tobacco mosaic virus. The AFM images have revealed how solution-based crystals grow and how they are affected by impurities, defects, and solution conditions. The results are likely to affect many disciplines and technologies, from pharmaceuticals to materials synthesis.
- OSTI ID:
- 416396
- Journal Information:
- Science and Technology Review, Other Information: PBD: Nov 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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