How do crystals nucleate and grow? Why and how do crystals form such a wide variety of morphologies? These questions have been posed since the seventeenth century, and are still vitally important for modern technology, and to understand the Earth's interior and the formation of minerals by living organisms. This book clearly sets out the atomic processes behind crystal growth, and describes case studies of complex systems from diamond, calcite and pyrite, to crystals formed through biomineralization. Essential reading for advanced graduates and researchers in mineralogy and materials science.
Description:
How do crystals nucleate and grow? Why and how do crystals form such a wide variety of morphologies? These questions have been posed since the seventeenth century, and are still vitally important for modern technology, and to understand the Earth's interior and the formation of minerals by living organisms. This book clearly sets out the atomic processes behind crystal growth, and describes case studies of complex systems from diamond, calcite and pyrite, to crystals formed through biomineralization. Essential reading for advanced graduates and researchers in mineralogy and materials science.