Dendrite Pattern Formation of Sodium Chloride Crystal

Abstract

A variety of crystal structures is found in nature, not only equilibrium structures reflecting molecular structures, but also non-equilibrium structures which depend on the physicochemical conditions occurring during the crystal growth. In this paper, we focus on the dendrite structure of sodium chloride (NaCl) formed by the simple evaporation of an aqueous NaCl solution. The characteristics of the growth structures were measured as a function of the initial concentration of NaCl. In addition, the crystal growth process was measured using optical microscopy. As a result, the growth rate was not constant but was found to oscillate over time and synchronize with the wetting of the crystal. Our observations indicate that dendrite structures are more easily generated at higher initial concentrations. The detailed mechanism for dendrite pattern formation is still under investigation.