Our paper titled 'Electrochemically Induced Growth of Hopper and Tabular Calcite under Confinement' was featured as a March 2024 cover in Crystal Growth & Design.
The cover shows a calcite crystal with extensive hopper morphology, which was synthesized under the confinement of the surface force apparatus. This spectacular morphology and a high surface area were achieved in the absence of precipitation-modifying additives, but using an electrochemically assisted deposition at a low negative applied potential. The application of negative potential causes a direct pH increase inside the confined pore. This leads to fast and abundant calcite precipitation in small pore volumes.
Our work explores the modification of calcite crystal habits, continuously from micrometer-sized pores to gaps that are only a few nanometers thin. We can also crystallize calcite in such tiny nanometer-sized pores, achieving flat, crystalline calcite plates. Check out more here!