The latest discoveries in Chemical Engineering
A concise briefing on the most relevant research developments in your field, curated for clarity and impact.
When Pressure Turns Crystals to Glass: A New Path for Mineral Deformation
New research demonstrates that the mineral forsterite, a key component of Earth’s mantle, can undergo a unique form of plasticity under stress. Instead of deforming through the typical movement of crystal defects, intense pressure can locally transform the ordered crystalline structure into a disordered, amorphous glass. This process, known as stress-induced amorphization, acts as a phase transformation that allows the material to flow, a mechanism revealed through advanced simulations and microscopy.
Why it might matter to you:
Understanding how minerals fundamentally change state under stress could inform new approaches to processing and separating complex ores. For resource recovery, this suggests that applying specific mechanical forces might be used to selectively alter the physical properties of target minerals, potentially creating more efficient pathways for their extraction. This research on a fundamental deformation mechanism may offer a novel conceptual framework for designing advanced, less energy-intensive separation processes.
If you wish to receive daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly personalized briefings like this, please.
Stay curious. Stay informed — with
Science Briefing.
You can update your preferences at
My Preferences.