Kinetics of Calcium Phosphate Nucleation and Growth on Calcite: Implications for Predicting the Fate of Dissolved Phosphate Species in Alkaline Soils

Unraveling the kinetics of calcium orthophosphate (Ca-P) precipitation and dissolution is important for our understanding of the transformation and mobility of dissolved phosphate species in soils. Here we use an in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) coupled with a fluid reaction cell to study the interaction of phosphate-bearing solutions with calcite surfaces. We observe that the mineral surface-induced formation of Ca-P phases is initiated...