-
Title
-
Special Snowflakes
-
Description
-
We are all special snowflakes. Our lives are fleeting records of subtle changes in our environment—thin memories locked into place one experience at a time. So, too, are single crystals. Our lab studies how environmental changes impact the atomic structure and associated material properties of single crystals. Atoms settle into place as snowflakes settle on tree branches. How, then, to arrange the branches? It is enormously complex to determine them retroactively—much better to control their growth from the start. While each snowflake has its unique pattern, the consensus can be designed. The mineral in this photo, switzerite, was grown in a gel medium that forced diffusion-governed order. Its crystalline needles result from preferential growth along specific axes in a stable environment with limited supply.
-
Date
-
2026-01-22
-
Creator
-
Cardon, Paul
