title: Two-dimensional crystal growth from undersaturated solutions.
abstract: The solubility of a substance is commonly understood as the minimum concentration necessary for the condensation of a solid phase from solution. Here we report the nucleation and growth of ionic compounds from aqueous concentrations on the order of 0.1 times the solubility. The condensation is catalyzed by a foreign substrate, and the new phase grows as a crystalline monolayer. Undersaturated growth is observed only in cases where the dissolved compound is isomorphic with the substrate and the interaction strength between a dissolved-ion/substrate-ion pair exceeds that between the two dissolved ions. These results are consistent with a simple model in which favorable ion-surface interactions lead to ion enrichment and supersaturation in the two-dimensional interfacial zone.
authors: Department of Physics and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
authors: Anne E
authors: AE
authors: Murdaugh
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Liddelow
authors: Anneliese M
authors: AM
authors: Schmidt
authors: Srinivas
authors: S
authors: Manne