New insights into mechanisms of biomolecular control on growth of inorganic crystals

The interactions of biomolecules with atomic features on crystal surfaces lead to dramatic changes in morphology and growth rate. Molecular scale studies based on atomic force microscopy and computational modeling have provided new insights into the mechanisms that lead to these changes. We examine the key factors that are emerging from those studies and link the mechanisms of modification to the underlying structural and chemical relationships between modifier and crystal surface.