Formation of crystals in saturated and undersaturated solutions is studied as a result of intense sound, or shock waves, produced by high intensity focused laser pulses. Many tiny crystals are created immediately throughout the solution by the laser-generated sound waves. The compression waves can be created by focusing within the liquid or onto the walls of a container. This new method allows for the instantaneous formation of many “seed” crystals, which are then available for further impurity-free crystal growth. More importantly, the tiny “baby” crystals can be harvested before complete growth into “adult” crystals can occur. This method is shown to produce enough “baby” crystals to provide a glimpse into the initial stages of crystal growth using modern microscopy techniques such as SEM. By employing this new method, simple salts such as sodium bromate, sodium chloride, sodium chlorate, and tartaric acid were successfully crystallized. This method of crystal growth may also allow for the generation of crystals which have previously not been realized or are otherwise difficult to produce.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.