CAREER: Surface-Controlled Carbonate Nucleation: From Critical Zone to Critical Minerals

Carbonate minerals typically form at the interface of water and rock. This project will explore the process that forms carbonate minerals, known as nucleation. This research informs societal needs, including groundwater management and critical mineral recovery. The project will also broaden geoscience awareness, build hands-on museum modules, and support student research experiences. This award supports research on how surface properties govern carbonate mineral nucleation. The project will quantify interfacial energies governing when, where, and how minerals begin to form. Researchers will utilize atomic force microscopy, flow-through reactors, and batch precipitation experiments. These approaches will characterize magnesium, iron, and lithium carbonates in previously inaccessible settings. Results will improve modeling of nucleation in geochemical simulations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.