Minimal physical requirements for crystal growth self-poisoning

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that crystal growth self-poisoning is a widespread phenomenon arising from simple binding conditions, and suggests that small parameter changes can mitigate poisoning effects.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal theoretical framework showing that self-poisoning occurs under broad conditions and can be potentially reversed with minor system adjustments.

Findings

Poisoning is a common kinetic trap in crystal growth.

Steady-state growth rate can be non-monotonic due to poisoning.

Small parameter changes can induce recovery from poisoning.

Abstract

Self-poisoning is a kinetic trap that can impair or prevent crystal growth in a wide variety of physical settings. Here we use dynamic mean-field theory and computer simulation to argue that poisoning is ubiquitous because its emergence requires only the notion that a molecule can bind in two (or more) ways to a crystal; that those ways are not energetically equivalent; and that the associated binding events occur with sufficiently unequal probability. If these conditions are met then the steady-state growth rate is in general a non-monotonic function of the thermodynamic driving force for crystal growth, which is the characteristic of poisoning. Our results also indicate that relatively small changes of system parameters could be used to induce recovery from poisoning.