1 Real-Time Observation of Water-Soluble 2 Mineral Precipitation in Aqueous Solution by 3 In Situ High-Resolution Electron Microscopy

: The precipitation and dissolution of water-soluble minerals in aqueous 14 systems is a familiar process occurring commonly in nature. Understanding mineral 15 nucleation and growth during its precipitation is highly desirable, but past in situ techniques 16 have su ff ered from limited spatial and temporal resolution. Here, by using in situ graphene 17 liquid cell electron microscopy, mineral nucleation and growth processes are demonstrated 18 in high spatial and temporal resolution. We precipitate the mineral thenardite (Na 2 SO 4 ) 19 from aqueous solution with electron-beam-induced radiolysis of water. We demonstrate that 20 minerals nucleate with a two-dimensional island structure on the graphene surfaces. We 21 further reveal that mineral grains grow by grain boundary migration and grain rotation. Our 22 fi ndings provide a direct observation of the dynamics of crystal growth from ionic solutions.

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