Atomic Force Microscopy Studies of Surface Morphology and Growth Kinetics in Thaumatin Crystallization

Surface morphology and growth kinetics of thaumatin crystals in the supersaturation range σ = 0−1.65 were investigated using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). At σ < 0.7 growth steps were produced both by screw dislocations and two-dimensional nuclei. At higher supersaturations growth proceeded exclusively by two-dimensional nucleation. Adsorption of three-dimensional clusters on the surfaces of growing crystals that resulted in the...