Soft Interactions, Solid Results

Many organisms exhibit a remarkable control over§crystal nucleation and growth. This enables them to§construct composite materials with optimal§properties. They use modified forms of§minerals such as calcite, which are abundant in§nature, but lack the right properties in their§natural form. §In this thesis it is shown that a Self Assembled§Monolayer (SAM) of thiol molecules on gold films§acts as a template for epitaxial nucleation of§calcite and is able to modify its shape. Such SAM''s§are therefore a good model system§for organic templates used in nature. Furthermore it§is shown that SAM''s decrease the nucleation§barrier significantly due to the negative charge and§the relative ordering of§the functional groups. This leads to critical cluster§sizes that are much§smaller for crystals formed on the SAM than within§the solution. §While knowledge creation lies at the heart of§scientific research, its role typically remains§implicit in studies of the practices and the§management of that research. This research shows the§outstanding but undervalued importance of§socialization processes, whereas many research groups§focus on output instead of creating the right§social context.