Nonequilibrium Growth of Crystals from Supersaturated Solutions

Naturally growing crystals have many different shapes, which are related to their crystal structure, to their surface properties and to the conditions under which they grew. Some crystals are faceted, for example quartz crystals; metal crystals often grow with smooth shapes, and salts and organic materials often grow with needle-like structures. Dendritic crystals, which are the subject of this paper, are also very common. Dendrites are crystals having a tree-like branched structure, with details dictated by their crystallography. The most well-known, and also one of the most beautiful, is the snow-flake. This structure was first noticed by Kepler in 1611 (Kepler, 1611), who drew pictures showing their six-fold symmetry properties.