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Step Crowding Effects Dampen the Stochasticity of Crystal Growth Kinetics

James F. Lutsko, Alexander E. S. Van Driessche, Miguel A. Durán-Olivencia, Dominique Maes, and Mike Sleutel
Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 015501 – Published 6 January 2016
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Abstract

Crystals grow by laying down new layers of material which can either correspond in size to the height of one unit cell (elementary steps) or multiple unit cells (macrosteps). Surprisingly, experiments have shown that macrosteps can grow under conditions of low supersaturation and high impurity density such that elementary step growth is completely arrested. We use atomistic simulations to show that this is due to two effects: the fact that the additional layers bias fluctuations in the position of the bottom layer towards growth and by a transition, as step height increases, from a 2D to a 3D nucleation mechanism.

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  • Received 20 October 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.015501

© 2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Physical Systems
  1. Techniques
Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Synopsis

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Growing Crystals in Macrosteps

Published 6 January 2016

Simulations describe how crystals are able to grow past impurities by forming multilayer steps.

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Authors & Affiliations

James F. Lutsko1, Alexander E. S. Van Driessche2, Miguel A. Durán-Olivencia3, Dominique Maes2, and Mike Sleutel2,*

  • 1Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems, Code Postal 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
  • 2Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
  • 3Complex Multiphase Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

  • *Corresponding author msleutel@vub.ac.be

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Issue

Vol. 116, Iss. 1 — 8 January 2016

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