Joanna Dziadkowiec

• Hellevang, Helge; Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Sednev-Lugovets, Anton & Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2026). Crystal Growth in Porous Media. InterPore Journal. 3(3). doi: 10.69631/9kd53x06. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Crystalline silicate minerals and carbonates make up 90% to 95% of the Earth's lithosphere, the rigid outermost shell comprising the crust and uppermost solid mantle. Crystalline materials are continuously modified by fluid–rock interactions including crystal growth occurring along fractures and within pore spaces. Crystals form under conditions dictated by extrinsic factors, such as temperature, pressure, fluid composition, and pore confinement, as well as intrinsic factors such as crystal structure, chemical bonding, and anisotropy. While the thermodynamic stability and structure of crystals are well established, their rates of heterogeneous nucleation and growth remain poorly constrained. This is particularly true in porous media, where nucleation is frequently a distinct and rate-limiting step rather than a negligible precursor to growth, especially where non-classical pathways preclude a single, well-defined interfacial free energy. In this commentary, we outline how crystal nucleation and growth in porous media control pore-scale structure, flow, and transport, and we evaluate how these processes can be represented in numerical models across scales. We examine the distinct roles of nucleation pathways, growth kinetics, interfacial and confinement effects, and crystallization pressure in governing transient porosity, stress localization, and self-organized crystalline networks. Furthermore, we discuss how fluid flow and mixing modulate where and when these processes occur. These principles are illustrated through examples spanning well-controlled synthetic crystal growth in materials science to geo-energy and geoscience applications, such as basaltic CO2 mineralization, where probabilistic nucleation, reactive transport, and evolving pore architecture jointly control macroscopic behavior. Finally, we assess the potential of machine learning and surrogate modeling approaches to bridge the persistent gap between molecular-scale mechanisms and field-scale predictions. By emphasizing mechanistic understanding over system-specific details, our goal is to help porous media scientists judge when crystallization is likely to matter, and to guide the selection of modeling approaches that remain both physically grounded and computationally tractable. WHY THIS PAPER MATTERS Crystal nucleation and growth can progressively clog pore spaces, redirect fluid pathways, and transform the mechanical and transport behavior of porous rocks across scales. Is it possible to use information we have about nanoscale processes to predict reservoir-scale changes? This InterPore Commentary article synthesizes how confinement, interfacial free energies, and crystallization pressures control where crystals appear, how fast they grow, and when they damage or seal flow networks in natural and engineered systems. It then outlines how machine learning can be used to connect molecular, pore, and field scales for predictive modeling.

• Olgiati, Matteo; Altmann, Florian; Zelenka, Moritz; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Kretschmer, Andreas & Celebi, Alper T. [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Entropic-dielectric interplay governs ion adsorption in inner electric double layers. Science Advances. 12(20). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aee9469. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ion-specific effects at aqueous interfaces are fundamental to chemistry, biology, and environmental science, yet unraveling their thermodynamic origins remains challenging. Here, we quantitatively resolve interfacial thermodynamics at molecular resolution by combining concentration-dependent adsorption isotherms obtained from atomic force microscopy imaging, molecular dynamics simulations, and sum-frequency generation spectroscopy. We show that strongly hydrated ions disrupt and compact interfacial water structure, leading to entropic penalties and increased dielectric screening that weakens their interaction with the surface. Conversely, weakly hydrated ions incur lower entropy costs and substantially decrease screening via water depletion, promoting inner-sphere overadsorption on a charged surface. This balance between entropic penalties and screening governs inner double-layer formation. Our findings establish a thermodynamically grounded molecular framework for ion-specific adsorption, quantitatively linking interfacial entropy, water structure, and electrostatics. This approach generalizes the Hofmeister concept and provides a foundational approach for understanding interfacial structure in complex electrolytes.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna & Røyne, Anja (2025). Ion-Dependent Calcium Carbonate Cohesion: Insights from Surface Forces Measured between Calcite Surfaces. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Mineralogical Society of America. ISSN 1529-6466. 91A(1), p. 251–293. doi: 10.2138/rmg.2025.91A.08. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Linga, Gaute; Kalchgruber, Lukas; Kavunga, Sunil; Cheng, Hsiu-Wei & Nilsen, Ola [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2024). Electrochemically Assisted Growth of Hopper and Tabular Calcite under Confinement. Crystal Growth & Design. ISSN 1528-7483. 24, p. 4930–4943. doi: 10.1021/acs.cgd.3c01433. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Crystallization under confinement is commonplace in nature and offers new pathways to engineer crystals with the desired morphologies in a controlled and reproducible manner. In this work, we demonstrate the electrochemically assisted, in situ formation of hopper and tabular calcite crystals within a wedge-like pore formed by confinement induced by the surface force apparatus (SFA). In this geometry, the distance between the confining surfaces decreases continuously from hundreds of micrometers to a few nanometers in a single experimental setup. Calcium carbonate precipitation followed in real-time is triggered by elevating the pH and thus supersaturation directly inside the pore. The pH increase is tracked with a fluorophore tracer and calculated analytically. The unusual calcite crystal habits are obtained in the absence of precipitation-modifying additives and vary as a function of the distance between the confining walls, where at the largest surface separations, hopper crystals form on the gold surface, whereas flat, tabular calcite forms on mica when the confining distance was below 5 μm. Hexagonal or triangular calcite plates exhibit surfaces dominantly defined by rough (001) planes and increase in their surface area-to-volume ratios with decreasing SFA pore thickness. Stabilization of calcite plates bound by (001) faces is a cooperative effect of the oriented growth of calcite on the confining, negatively charged mica walls and the confinement shape, which promotes the development of calcite morphology in the rapid crystal growth directions. The heterogeneous crystallization of calcite is preceded by the nucleation and spreading of a front composed of submicrometer-sized calcium carbonate particles visualized in situ in the SFA pore. Our work demonstrates abundant crystal growth under nanoscale confinement facilitated by elevated pH and a high surface charge of the confining walls.

• Wang, Jianfeng; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Liu, Yuke; Jiang, Wenmin; Zheng, Yijun & Xiong, Yongqiang [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Combining atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation helps characterizing in-situ mechanical properties of organic matter in shale. International Journal of Coal Geology. ISSN 0166-5162. 281. doi: 10.1016/j.coal.2023.104406. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The quantification of mechanical properties of organic matter in shale is of significance for the fine prediction and characterization of shale reservoir's mechanical properties. Due to the micron-sized and dispersed distribution of organic matter particles in shale, the accurate evaluation of the actual mechanical response remains challenging. This work focuses on shale from Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation, which is the main shale gas exploration and development formation in China. A method based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) with an optical microscope (i.e., in-situ AFM technique) is presented to locate the organic matter in-situ and then visualize and quantify its mechanical properties using AFM Young's modulus mapping. The merits and limitations for determining the mechanical properties of organic matter in shale between the AFM and the more conventional nanoindentation technique are discussed. Results show that combining in-situ nanoindentation and in-situ AFM mapping provides more accurate description of the mechanical properties of organic matter in shale than traditional grid indentation methods with low spatial resolution. The Young's moduli of organic matter calculated from nanoindentation are around twice smaller than those obtained from AFM measurements mainly because the elasto-plastic deformation zone of organic matter in nanoindentation tests is larger and can be additionally affected by the presence of inorganic particles and/or larger micro-pores in organic matter. The Young's modulus and hardness of graptolite in the shale obtained by nanoindentation are slightly larger than those of solid bitumen at the same thermal maturity. Both in-situ AFM and in-situ nanoindentation results show that the mechanical strength of organic matter increases with increasing maturity. Overall, the presented approach shows a great potential for accurate and in-situ measurement of the mechanical properties of organic matter in shale at the nanoscale, which may be beneficial to the development of rock mechanical models for the accurate evaluation of the actual mechanical properties of shale.

• Ramach, Ulrich; Lee, Jinhoon; Altmann, Florian; Schussek, Martin; Olgiati, Matteo & Dziadkowiec, Joanna [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Real-time visualisation of ion exchange in molecularly confined spaces where electric double layers overlap. Faraday discussions. ISSN 1359-6640. doi: 10.1039/d3fd00038a. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ion interactions with interfaces and transport in confined spaces, where electric double layers overlap, are essential in many areas, ranging from crevice corrosion to understanding and creating nano-fluidic devices at the sub 10 nm scale. Tracking the spatial and temporal evolution of ion exchange, as well as local surface potentials, in such extreme confinement situations is both experimentally and theoretically challenging. Here, we track in real-time the transport processes of ionic species (LiClO4) confined between a negatively charged mica surface and an electrochemically modulated gold surface using a high-speed in situ sensing Surface Forces Apparatus. With millisecond temporal and sub-micrometer spatial resolution we capture the force and distance equilibration of ions in the confinement of D ≈ 2–3 nm in an overlapping electric double layer (EDL) during ion exchange. Our data indicate that an equilibrated ion concentration front progresses with a velocity of 100–200 μm s−1 into a confined nano-slit. This is in the same order of magnitude and in agreement with continuum estimates from diffusive mass transport calculations. We also compare the ion structuring using high resolution imaging, molecular dynamics simulations, and calculations based on a continuum model for the EDL. With this data we can predict the amount of ion exchange, as well as the force between the two surfaces due to overlapping EDLs, and critically discuss experimental and theoretical limitations and possibilities.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Cheng, Hsiu-Wei; Ludwig, Michael; Ban, Matea; Tausendpfund, Timon Pascal & Klitzing, Regine von [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Cohesion Gain Induced by Nanosilica Consolidants for Monumental Stone Restoration. Langmuir. ISSN 0743-7463. 38(22), p. 6949–6958. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00486. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mineral nanoparticle suspensions with consolidating properties have been successfully applied in the restoration of weathered architectural surfaces. However, the design of these consolidants is usually stone-specific and based on trial and error, which prevents their robust operation for a wide range of highly heterogeneous monumental stone materials. In this work, we develop a facile and versatile method to systematically study the consolidating mechanisms in action using a surface forces apparatus (SFA) with real-time force sensing and an X-ray surface forces apparatus (X-SFA). We directly assess the mechanical tensile strength of nanosilica-treated single mineral contacts and show a sharp increase in their cohesion. The smallest used nanoparticles provide an order of magnitude stronger contacts. We further resolve the microstructures and forces acting during evaporation-driven, capillary-force-induced nanoparticle aggregation processes, highlighting the importance of the interactions between the nanoparticles and the confining mineral walls. Our novel SFA-based approach offers insight into nano- and microscale mechanisms of consolidating silica treatments, and it can aid the design of nanomaterials used in stone consolidation.

• Liberto, Teresa; Nenning, Andreas; Bellotto, Maurizio; Dalconi, Maria Chiara; Dworschak, Dominik & Kalchgruber, Lukas [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). Detecting Early-Stage Cohesion Due to Calcium Silicate Hydration with Rheology and Surface Force Apparatus. Langmuir. ISSN 0743-7463. 38(48), p. 14988–15000. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02783. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Extremely robust cohesion triggered by calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) precipitation during cement hardening makes concrete one of the most commonly used man-made materials. Here, in this proof-of-concept study, we seek an additional nanoscale understanding of early-stage cohesive forces acting between hydrating model tricalcium silicate (C3S) surfaces by combining rheological and surface force measurements. We first used time-resolved small oscillatory rheology measurements (SAOSs) to characterize the early-stage evolution of the cohesive properties of a C3S paste and a C–S–H gel. SAOS revealed the reactive and viscoelastic nature of C3S pastes, in contrast with the nonreactive but still viscoelastic nature of the C–S–H gel, which proves a temporal variation in the cohesion during microstructural physicochemical rearrangements in the C3S paste. We further prepared thin films of C3S by plasma laser deposition (PLD) and demonstrated that these films are suitable for force measurements in the surface force apparatus (SFA). We measured surface forces acting between two thin C3S films exposed to water and subsequent in situ calcium silicate hydrate precipitation. With the SFA and SFA-coupled interferometric measurements, we resolved that C3S surface reprecipitation in water was associated with both increasing film thickness and progressively stronger adhesion (pull-off force). The lasting adhesion developing between the growing surfaces depended on the applied load, pull-off rate, and time in contact. These properties indicated the viscoelastic character of the soft, gel-like reprecipitated layer, pointing to the formation of C–S–H. Our findings confirm the strong cohesive properties of hydrated calcium silicate surfaces that, based on our preliminary SFA measurements, are attributed to sharp changes in the surface microstructure. In contact with water, the brittle and rough C3S surfaces with little contact area weather into soft, gel-like C–S–H nanoparticles with a much larger surface area available for forming direct contacts between interacting surfaces.

• Li, Lei; Kohler, Felix; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Røyne, Anja; Marzal, Rosa M. Espinosa & Bresme, Fernando [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Limits to Crystallization Pressure. Langmuir. ISSN 0743-7463. 38(37), p. 11265–11273. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01325. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Crystallization pressure drives deformation and damage in monuments, buildings, and the Earth’s crust. Even though the phenomenon has been known for 170 years, there is no agreement between theoretical calculations of the maximum attainable pressure and experimentally measured pressures. We have therefore developed a novel experimental technique to image the nanoconfined crystallization process while controlling the pressure and applied it to calcite. The results show that displacement by crystallization pressure is arrested at pressures well below the thermodynamic limit. We use existing molecular dynamics simulations and atomic force microscopy data to construct a robust model of the disjoining pressure in this system and thereby calculate the absolute distance between the surfaces. On the basis of the high-resolution experiments and modeling, we formulate a novel mechanism for the transition between damage and adhesion by crystallization that may find application in Earth and materials sciences and in conservation of cultural heritage.

• Rogowska, Melania; Hansen, Per-Anders Stensby; Sønsteby, Henrik Hovde; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Valen, Håkon & Nilsen, Ola (2021). Molecular layer deposition of photoactive metal-naphthalene hybrid thin films. Dalton Transactions. ISSN 1477-9226. 50(37), p. 12896–12905. doi: 10.1039/d1dt02201f. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We here report on photoactive organic–inorganic hybrid thin films prepared by the molecular layer deposition (MLD) method. The new series of hybrid films deposited using 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (2,6-NDC) and either hafnium chloride (HfCl4), yttrium tetramethylheptanedionate (Y(thd)3) or titanium chloride (TiCl4) were compared with the known zirconium chloride (ZrCl4) based system. All metal-naphthalene films are amorphous as-deposited and show self-saturating growth as expected for an ideal MLD process with varied growth rates depending on the choice of metal precursor. The growth was studied in situ using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and the films were further characterised using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy to obtain information on their physicochemical properties. The hybrid thin films display intense blue photoluminescence, except for the Ti-organic complex in which titanium clusters were found to be an effective PL quencher for the organic linker. We demonstrate how the optical properties of the films depend on the choice of metal component to make a foundation for further studies on these types of organic–inorganic hybrid materials for applications as photoactive agents.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Ban, Matea; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Jamtveit, Bjørn & Røyne, Anja (2021). Ca2+ ions decrease adhesion between two (104) calcite surfaces as probed by Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 5(10), p. 2827–2838. doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00220. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Solution composition-sensitive disjoining pressure acting between the mineral surfaces in fluid-filled granular rocks and materials controls their cohesion, facilitates the transport of dissolved species, and may sustain volume-expanding reactions leading to fracturing or pore sealing. Although calcite is one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth’s crust, there is still no complete understanding of how the most common inorganic ions affect the disjoining pressure (and thus the attractive or repulsive forces) operating between calcite surfaces. In this atomic force microscopy study, we measured adhesion acting between two cleaved (104) calcite surfaces in solutions containing low and high concentrations of Ca2+ ions. We detected only low adhesion between calcite surfaces, which was weakly modulated by the varying Ca2+ concentration. Our results show that the more hydrated calcium ions decrease the adhesion between calcite surfaces with respect to monovalent Na+ at a given ionic strength, and thus Ca2+ can sustain relatively thick water films between contacting calcite grains even at high overburden pressures. These findings suggest a possible loss of cohesion and continued progress of reaction-induced fracturing for weakly charged minerals in the presence of strongly hydrated ionic species.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna & Røyne, Anja (2020). Nanoscale Forces between Basal Mica Surfaces in Dicarboxylic Acid Solutions: Implications for Clay Aggregation in the Presence of Soluble Organic Acids. Langmuir. ISSN 0743-7463. 36(49), p. 14978–14990. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02290. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The stability of organomineral aggregates in soils has a key influence on nutrient cycling, erosion, and soil productivity. Both clay minerals with distinct basal and edge surfaces and organic molecules with reactive functional groups offer rich bonding environments. While clay edges often promote strong inner-sphere bonding of −COOH-laden organics, we explore typically weaker, outer-sphere bonding of such molecules onto basal planes and its significance in organomineral interactions. In this surface force apparatus study, we probed face-specific interactions of negatively charged mica basal surfaces in solutions containing carboxyl-bearing, low-molecular-weight dicarboxylic acids (DAs). Our experiments provide distance-resolved, nanometer-range measurements of forces acting between two (001) mica surfaces and simultaneously probe DA adsorption. We show that background inorganic ions display crucial importance in nanoscale forces acting between basal mica surfaces and in DA adsorption: Na+ contributes to strong repulsion and little binding of dicarboxylic anions, while small amounts of Ca2+ are sufficient to screen the basal surface charge of mica, facilitate strong adhesion, and enhance dicarboxylic anion adsorption by acting as cationic bridges. Despite reversible and weak adsorption of DAs, we resolve their multilayer binding via assembly of hydrophobic chains in the presence of Ca2+, pointing the importance of abundant, less reactive basal clay surfaces in organomineral interactions.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Zareeipolgardani, Bahareh; Dysthe, Dag Kristian & Røyne, Anja (2019). Nucleation in confinement generates long-range repulsion between rough calcite surfaces. Scientific Reports. 9. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-45163-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Fluid-induced alteration of rocks and mineral-based materials often starts at confined mineral interfaces where nm-thick water films can persist even at high overburden pressures and at low vapor pressures. These films enable transport of reactants and affect forces acting between mineral surfaces. However, the feedback between the surface forces and reactivity of confined solids is not fully understood. We used the surface forces apparatus (SFA) to follow surface reactivity in confinement and measure nm-range forces between two rough calcite surfaces in NaCl, CaCl2, or MgCl2 solutions with ionic strength of 0.01, 0.1 or 1 M. We observed long-range repulsion that could not be explained by changes in calcite surface roughness, surface damage, or by electrostatic or hydration repulsion, but was correlated with precipitation events which started at µm-thick separations. We observed a submicron-sized precipitate that formed in the confined solution. This liquid-like viscous precipitate did not undergo any spontaneous ripening into larger crystals, which suggested that confinement prevented its dehydration. Nucleation was significantly postponed in the presence of Mg2+. The long-range repulsion generated by nucleation between confined mineral surfaces can have a crucial influence on evolution of the microstructure and therefore the macroscopic strength of rocks and materials.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Bratvold, Jon E.; Nilsen, Ola & Røyne, Anja (2018). Surface Forces Apparatus Measurements of Interactions between Rough and Reactive Calcite Surfaces. Langmuir. ISSN 0743-7463. 34((25)), p. 7248–7263. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b00797. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Nm-range forces acting between calcite surfaces in water affect macroscopic properties of carbonate rocks and calcite-based granular materials, and are significantly influenced by calcite surface recrystallization. We suggest that the repulsive mechanical effects related to nm-scale surface recrystallization of calcite in water could be partially responsible for the observed decrease of cohesion in calcitic rocks saturated with water. Using the Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA), we simultaneously followed the calcite reactivity and measured the forces in water in two surface configurations: between two rough calcite surfaces (CC), or between rough calcite and a smooth mica surface (CM). We used nm-scale rough, polycrystalline calcite films prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). We measured only repulsive forces in CC in CaCO3-saturated water, which was related to roughness and possibly to repulsive hydration effects. Adhesive or repulsive forces were measured in CM in CaCO3-saturated water depending on calcite roughness, and the adhesion was likely enhanced by electrostatic effects. The pull-off adhesive force in CM became stronger with time and this increase was correlated with a decrease of roughness at contacts, which parameter could be estimated from the measured force-distance curves. That suggested a progressive increase of real contact areas between the surfaces, caused by gradual pressure-driven deformation of calcite surface asperities during repeated loading-unloading cycles. Reactivity of calcite was affected by mass transport across nm to µm-thick gaps between the surfaces. Major roughening was observed only for the smoothest calcite films, where gaps between two opposing surfaces were nm-thick over µm-sized areas, and led to force of crystallization that could overcome confining pressures of the order of MPa. Any substantial roughening of calcite caused a significant increase of the repulsive mechanical force contribution.

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• Dziadkowiec, Joanna & Trautner, Viktoria Elisabeth (2026). Real-time measurements of forces during mineral growth under confinement. Full text in Research Archive
• Trautner, Viktoria Elisabeth; Rogowska, Melania; Plümper, Oliver; Nilsen, Ola & Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2026). How hard do crystals push when growing under confinement? Real-time measurements of surface forces during hydration of periclase to brucite. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu26-7493. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Interactions between minerals and reactive fluids in porous rocks and building materials often result in crystallization of new minerals. The forces exerted by minerals growing under confinement on the surrounding matrix can be large enough to cause fracturing. Fractures expose new reactive surfaces, leading to progressive disintegration of the material. These processes can result in severe damage to cultural heritage and modern infrastructure, as well as changes in the rheological properties and weathering of natural rocks. Understanding and controlling volume-expanding mineral replacement reactions in pore spaces is thus an important objective to address both societal and geological issues. While crystallization pressures have been measured at larger scales, nanoscale force evolution during confined mineral growth remains poorly constrained.Here, we investigate volume-expansive mineral reactions in pores spaces by studying the hydration of MgO (periclase) in the Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA). Hydration of MgO to Mg(OH)­2 (brucite) causes a volume increase to 220%, yielding high crystallization pressures. We use MgO thin films (~90 nm) prepared by atomic layer deposition as reactive surfaces in our experiments, which are performed at the Flow Laboratory, Njord Center, University of Oslo. With the SFA, we measure distance-resolved adhesive and repulsive forces acting between two MgO surfaces under variable external load and how these change over time as the reaction progresses. Preliminary results indicate evolution of forces from strongly adhesive to repulsive during the hydration reaction, likely due to the presence of amorphous, gel-like precursors in the early stages of the reaction. As a reference for the SFA experiments, we study the hydration of isolated MgO surfaces with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). This allows us to compare nucleation and growth rates, as well as microstructure and porosity of Mg(OH)­2 grown in SFA and AFM.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Linga, Gaute; Dunkel, Kristina G.; Valtiner, Markus & Renard, Francois (2026). In-situ, real-time replacement of calcite under geometrical confinement. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu26-3925. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mineral replacement by dissolution-precipitation reactions that occur under confinement critically influences subsurface deformation by modifying rock porosity, permeability, and cohesion, and by inducing fracturing. Yet real-time, experimental observations of these phenomena at the nano- to microscale remain insufficient. In this work, we follow the in-situ replacement of confined calcite crystal using a surface force apparatus (SFA) technique. Calcite undergoes dissolution under low pH conditions, followed by replacement into three various Ca-minerals: calcium oxalate, calcium sulfate (gypsum), or calcium phosphate (brushite), depending on the initial composition of the solution. We monitor these reactions in real time, map the spatial distribution of precipitates as a function of confinement gap size, and evaluate how epitaxy between the secondary phases and the parent calcite governs preferred nucleation and growth sites. In addition, we measure forces that act on the confining pore wall during the replacement and estimate the associated crystallization pressures. This work contributes to the understanding of the mineral growth under confinement and its consequences for porous rock integrity, with immediate relevance to subsurface fluid and gas storage operations, where rapid mineralization is common.

• Olgiati, Matteo; Altmann, Florian; Zelenka, Moritz; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Kretschmer, Andreas & Celebi, Alper Tunga [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Ion-Specific Interfacial Water Structure and Thermodynamics Governing Adsorption. Full text in Research Archive
• Trautner, Viktoria Elisabeth; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Rogowska, Melania & Nilsen, Ola (2025). Hydration of MgO under confinement: investigating damaging mineral growth in the Surface Forces Apparatus. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Crystallization of new minerals resulting from interactions with reactive fluids is common in porous rocks and building materials. The forces exerted by minerals growing under confinement on the surrounding matrix can be large enough to cause fracturing and disintegration. This can lead to severe damage to cultural heritage and modern infrastructure. Understanding and controlling volume-expanding mineral replacement reactions in pore spaces is thus an important objective. As part of an ongoing research project investigating damaging mineral growth under confinement, we study the hydration reaction of MgO (periclase) in the Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA). Hydration of MgO to Mg(OH)¬2 (brucite) causes a volume expansion of 220%, yielding high crystallization pressures. With the SFA, we can measure the forces acting between two surfaces under variable external load, as well as the distance between the surfaces, and how these evolve over time as the reaction progresses. We seek to use two types of reactive surfaces in our experiments: 1. MgO single crystals polished to ~10 µm thickness, and 2. MgO thin films (~200 nm) on mica prepared by atomic layer deposition. As a reference for the SFA experiments, we study the hydration of isolated MgO surfaces with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). This allows us to compare nucleation and growth rates, as well as microstructure and porosity of Mg(OH)¬2 grown in SFA and AFM. All experiments are performed at the Flow Laboratory, Njord Center, University of Oslo.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2025). REACT project: in-situ measurements of mineral growth under confinement. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2025). Mineral Surfaces Under Confinement. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2025). Ion-Dependent Calcium Carbonate Cohesion, Insights from Surface Forces Measured between Calcite Surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Liberto, Teresa; Bellotto, Maurizio; Robisson, Agathe; Røyne, Anja & Valtiner, Markus (2024). Measurements of surface forces between reactive mineral surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Lee, Jinhoon; Ramach, Ulrich; Olgiati, Matteo; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Wieser, Valentina & Imre, Alexander [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2024). Probing chemical reactivity in confined spaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2024). Surface forces apparatus measurements of reactive mineral surfaces under confinement. Full text in Research Archive
• Olgiati, Matteo; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Celebi, Alper; Mears, Laura L. E. & Valtiner, Markus (2023). Towards understanding interfacial thermodynamics: visualising and quantifying cation adsorption on muscovite mica with AFM. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2023). Confined Crystal Growth Experiments in Surface Forces Apparatus. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Ban, Matea; Jamtveit, Bjørn & Røyne, Anja (2022). Ion-dependent adhesion between calcite surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2022). Experimental measurements of surface forces between mineral surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Zareeipolgardani, Bahareh; Cheng, Hsiu-Wei; Dysthe, Dag Kristian; Røyne, Anja & Valtiner, Markus (2021). Forces between reactive surfaces. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Adhesive and repulsive, nm-range surface forces acting between mineral grains control colloidal stability and mineral aggregation but less is known about how these forces are affected by surface reactivity and to what extent these grain-scale forces can influence various deformation processes in rocks. In this experimental work, we explore and quantify the surface forces acting between dynamic mineral surfaces that undergo recrystallization or are chemically reactive in contact with water or aqueous salt solutions. Our experimental setup consists of the surface forces apparatus (SFA) coupled with the multiple beam interferometry (MBI). This setup can excellently reproduce a typical grain contact geometry with nanometer-thin water films confined between contacting mineral grains over relatively large, micron-sized contact areas. Owing to the use of MBI, both surface growth or dissolution processes can be monitored during force measurements in real-time. As such, SFA can provide information about the links between surface reactivity and adhesive or repulsive surface forces. Using the examples of force measurements between recrystallizing or chemically reactive mineral surfaces such as carbonates, hydroxides, and silicates, we comment on the relationship between the measured surface forces and surface reactivity. We link our findings with the observed changes in mineral phases, surface topographies, or surface roughness. We also comment on how the micron-scale confinement in the SFA affects the growth and dissolution processes in contrast to less confined regions. The magnitude of the forces associated with dynamic mineral surfaces and the potential significance of these forces to macroscopic deformation processes and cohesion in rocks are discussed.

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Ban, Matea; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Jamtveit, Bjørn & Røyne, Anja (2021). Ion-specific adhesion between brittle calcite surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna & Røyne, Anja (2021). Do soluble organic acids bind to basal mica surfaces? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Soluble organic acids are constantly supplied to soils as a result of the oxidative decomposition of organic matter by the plant roots and microorganisms. These carboxylic group-bearing organic molecules can interact with soil clay minerals and affect the formation and stability of organomineral aggregates. While it has been suggested that –COOH laden organics can strongly bind to broken clay edges, less is known about how such soluble acids interact with negatively charged basal clay surfaces. This work presents a Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) study of interactions between two mica surfaces in dicarboxylic acid molecules with 2 to 7 carbon atoms. SFA allows measuring nanoscale surface forces acting between macroscopic surfaces as a function of surface separation. Since, unlike as in atomic force microscopy, the absolute surface separation in the SFA is known, it is possible simultaneously probe the adsorption of dicarboxylic acids onto mica. The results show that significant amounts of dicarboxylic acids can adsorb on mica surfaces, but only in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Ca2+ acts as cationic bridges between the negatively charged mica surface and deprotonated –COO- functionalities. In addition, the multilayer binding of larger dicarboxylic acids (C5-C7) via an assembly of hydrophobic chains is resolved. Na+ does not promote any substantial dicarboxylic acid adsorption and induce strong repulsion between mica surfaces. In summary, although these face-specific SFA measurements show that dicarboxylic acids adsorb onto mica basal surfaces only by weak forces including electrostatic, hydrophobic, and likely hydrogen bonding, they demonstrate that even such weak outer-sphere adsorption can affect adhesion between clay surfaces and play a role in the organomineral aggregate formation. Acknowledgments: This study has been financed by the Research Council of Norway (grant No 286733) and the European Union Horizon 2020 (grant No 642976-Nano-Heal).

• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2021). Nucleation in confinement – experiments in surface forces apparatus. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Zareeipolgardani, Bahareh; Dysthe, Dag Kristian & Røyne, Anja (2020). Confined Nucleation of Calcium Carbonate Studied in the Surface Forces Apparatus. Full text in Research Archive
• Haffner, Fernanda; Couturier, Marion & Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2020). Crystals: From rock candy to rock(et) science. Esperluette. June 2020. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Cheng, Hsiu-Wei; Røyne, Anja & Valtiner, Markus (2020). Interfacial processes at dissimilarly charged mineral surfaces in contact – a surface forces apparatus study. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Cheng, Hsiu-Wei; Røyne, Anja & Valtiner, Markus (2020). Interactions between reactive mineral surfaces studied with the surface forces apparatus. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh & Røyne, Anja (2019). Contacts between reactive surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2019). Interactions between mineral surfaces studied with the surface forces apparatus. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna (2019). (CaCO3) Nucleation in confinement. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Zareeipolgardani, Bahareh; Bratvold, Jon E.; Nilsen, Ola; Dysthe, Dag Kristian & Røyne, Anja (2019). Long-range repulsive forces between reactive calcite surfaces are generated due to nucleation in a confined solution. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Bratvold, Jon E.; Nilsen, Ola & Røyne, Anja (2018). Adhesive and repulsive forces between calcite surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Javadi, Shaghayegh; Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Røyne, Anja; Bratvold, Jon E.; Nilsen, Ola & Hiorth, Aksel (2018). Synthetic CaCO3 surfaces in aqueous solutions – AFM and Surface Force Apparatus (SFA) measurements. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Bratvold, Jon E.; Nilsen, Ola & Røyne, Anja (2018). Nucleation in solution confined between reactive surfaces can generate long-range repulsive forces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Bratvold, Jon E.; Nilsen, Ola & Røyne, Anja (2017). Interactions between reactive CaCO3 surfaces in aqueous solutions -Surface Forces Apparatus measurements. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh & Røyne, Anja (2017). Surface Forces Apparatus measurements of interactions between rough and reactive calcite surfaces. Full text in Research Archive
• Dziadkowiec, Joanna & Røyne, Anja (2017). Interactions between calcite surfaces in Surface Forces Apparatus – effect of ionic strength and dicarboxylic acids. Full text in Research Archive

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