title: Real-time QEXAFS spectroscopy measures rapid precipitate formation at the mineral-water interface.
abstract: Reactions at the mineral-water interface are central to numerous geochemical processes and have consequences at local, regional and global scales. They are also important in materials science research. Kinetics greatly influences mineral-water interface reactions; however, there are few kinetic data in real-time and at the molecular scale. Here we report real-time data illustrating the rapid formation of nickel aluminium-layered double hydroxide precipitates at the mineral-water interface in a flow environment in as little as 31-40 min. Layered double hydroxides have a variety of applications in environmental remediation and materials science. The real-time data shown here enhance our fundamental understanding of the kinetics of mineral-water interface processes, such as adsorption, dissolution and precipitation, by illustrating their rapid and simultaneous occurrence in a dynamic environment. Both precipitation and adsorption can occur on the same rapid timescale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, 221 Academy Street, 250A ISE Lab, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siebecker
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, 221 Academy Street, 250A ISE Lab, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Photon Science Directorate, Upton, New York 11973, USA.
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, 221 Academy Street, 250A ISE Lab, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sparks