Atomic layer wear of single-crystal calcite in aqueous solution using scanning force microscopy

Scanning force microscopy (SFM) is employed to study nm-scale wear of single-crystal calcite in an aqueous solution. When the SFM tip is drawn back and forth in a linear fashion across the edge of a preexisting single atomic layer etch pit, dissolution is strongly enhanced at the point where the tip crosses the step. The wear rate as a function of contact force is consistent with a thermally activated wear process, where the activation energy is locally reduced in the strain field of the SFM tip. The activation volume for the strain dependence is on the order of the average volume per ion in the CaCO3 lattice. This study provides further support for strain enhanced nucleation of double kinks along preexisting steps.