Spontaneous weathering of natural minerals in charged water microdroplets forms nanomaterials
成果类型：
Article
署名作者：
Spoorthi, B. K.; Debnath, Koyendrila; Basuri, Pallab; Nagar, Ankit; Waghmare, Umesh V.; Pradeep, Thalappil
署名单位：
Indian Institute of Technology System (IIT System); Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Madras; Department of Science & Technology (India); Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR); Indian Institute of Technology System (IIT System); Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Madras
刊物名称：
SCIENCE
ISSN/ISSBN：
0036-8152
DOI：
10.1126/science.adl3364
发表日期：
2024-05-31
页码：
1012-1017
关键词：
摘要：
In this work, we show that particles of common minerals break down spontaneously to form nanoparticles in charged water microdroplets within milliseconds. We transformed micron-sized natural minerals like quartz and ruby into 5- to 10-nanometer particles when integrated into aqueous microdroplets generated via electrospray. We deposited the droplets on a substrate, which allowed nanoparticle characterization. We determined through simulations that quartz undergoes proton-induced slip, especially when reduced in size and exposed to an electric field. This leads to particle scission and the formation of silicate fragments, which we confirmed with mass spectrometry. This rapid weathering process may be important for soil formation, given the prevalence of charged aerosols in the atmosphere.