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Dissolution of the (104) surface of magnetite (MgCO3) was studied as a function of bulk solution pH over the range 2.0 less than pH less than 5.0 at 60 degree using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images revealed a dramatic increase in step density associated with a large increase in dissolution flux that was attributed to the protonation of terrace-adsorbed carbonate sites.

Step growth kinetics on barium sulfate (001) is measured as a function of step length, supersaturation, and temperature. The results demonstrate that knowledge of the kink kinetics, as a function of temperature is important in testing the applicability of the classical thermodynamic model to kinetic data.

One of the promising technologies expected to improve environmental chemistry research is the scanning probe microscopy, which enables researchers to gain new insights into the fundamentals of interfacial chemistry. The utility of scanning probe microscopy in environmental chemistry is in its ability to monitor key energetic parameters of reactive sites, especially between fluids and particles. The techniques ability to monitor real-time chemical reactions is also important in gaining insights into combinatorial chemistry that will enhance the effectivity of chemical treatment strategies.

Elucidating dissolution kinetics and mechanisms at carbonate mineral-water interfaces is essential to many environmental and geochemical processes, including geologic CO(2) sequestration in deep aquifers. In the present work, effects of background electrolytes on dolomite (CaMg(CO(3))(2)) reactivity were investigated by measuring step dissolution rates using in situ hydrothermal atomic force microscopy (HAFM) at 90 °C. Cleaved surfaces of dolomite were exposed to sodium chloride and tetramethylammonium chloride (TMACl) aqueous solutions with ionic strengths (I) ranging from 0 to 0.77 m at pH 4 and pH 9. HAFM results demonstrated that dolomite step retreat rates increased with increasing solution ionic strength and decreasing pH. Comparison of [481] and [441] steps revealed that the anisotropy of [481] and [441] step speeds became significant as solution ionic strength increased, with NaCl exerting more pronounced effects than TMACl for the same I. To interpret the different trends observed for NaCl and TMACl, a dissolution mechanism involving orientation-dependent ion adsorption and consequent edge free energy changes is proposed.

A self-limited monolayer grown on dolomite (CaMg(CO(3))(2)), showing distinct friction contrast with the substrate as reported earlier using lateral force microscopy, was investigated with in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) adhesion mapping and force-modulation techniques. Force-modulation microscopy revealed lower stiffness on a Ca-rich film in comparison to that on the dolomite surface. The friction contrast therefore results from a larger tip-surface contact area when the AFM probe is in contact with the Ca-rich film as opposed to the contact area with dolomite. The Ca-rich film also exhibited a slightly higher adhesion than did the dolomite substrate; however, the critical shear stresses for the two tip-surface contacts were indistinguishable. A comparative study with a Mg-rich film did not yield noticeable force modulation contrast, indicating similar surface stiffness of the film and the dolomite surface. The similarity in these stiffness quantities was further corroborated by friction-load data that demonstrated similar friction forces on the two surfaces. The previously reported film strain in the Ca-rich system is likely linked to the lower stiffness observed, with both of these properties related to the Ca/Mg composition of the film.

The friction and lateral stiffness of the contact between an atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe tip and an atomically flat dolomite (104) surface were investigated in contact with two aqueous solutions that were in equilibrium and supersaturated with respect to dolomite, respectively. The two aqueous solutions yielded negligible differences in friction at the native dolomite-water interface. However, the growth of a Ca-rich film from the supersaturated solution, revealed by X-ray reflectivity measurements, altered the probe-dolomite contact region sufficiently to observe distinct friction forces on the native dolomite and the film-covered surface regions. Quantitative friction-load relationships demonstrated three physically distinct load regimes for applied loads up to 200 nN. Similar friction forces were observed on both surfaces below 50 nN load and above 100 nN load. The friction forces on the two surfaces diverged at intermediate loads. Quantitative measurements of dynamic friction forces at low load were consistent with the estimated energy necessary to dehydrate the surface ions, whereas differences in mechanical properties of the Ca-rich film and dolomite surfaces were evidently important above 50 nN load. Attempts to fit the quantitative stiffness-load data using a Hertzian contact mechanical model based on bulk material properties yielded physically unrealistic fitting coefficients, suggesting that the interfacial contact region must be explicitly considered in describing the static and dynamic contact mechanics of this and similar systems.