Growth Mechanism of Microporous
Zincophosphate Sodalite
Revealed by In Situ Atomic Force Microscopy
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Abstract
Microporous zincophosphate sodalite crystal growth has
been studied
in situ by atomic force microscopy. This simple model system permits
an in depth investigation of some of the axioms governing crystal
growth of nanoporous framework solids in general. In particular, this
work reveals the importance of considering the growth of a framework
material as the growth of a dense phase material where the framework
structure, nonframework cations, and hydrogen-bonded water must all
be considered. The roles of the different components of the structure,
including the role of strict framework ordering, are disentangled,
and all of the growth features, both crystal habit and nanoscopic
surface structure, are explained according to a simple set of rules.
The work describes, for the first time, both ideal growth and growth
leading to defect structures on all of the principal facets of the
sodalite structure. Also, the discovery of the presence of anisotropic
friction on a framework material is described