Non-classical Mullins-Sekerka instability during mineralization at gas-liquid interfaces

Abstract

Diffusion-driven morphological instability, described by Mullins–Sekerka theory, predicts amplification of interfacial perturbations and wavelength selection for idealized sharp interfaces. However, natural systems rarely satisfy these assumptions. Here, we investigate barite mineralization on the growing interface of CO\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}₂\end{document} gas bubbles using 3D focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography, quantitative surface analysis and reactive transport modelling. Bubble morphologies exhibit diffusion-driven instability, with dominant modes consistent with Mullins–Sekerka predictions. However, the interface violates key assumptions of the classical framework; it is porous, transport active, and evolves in pore space confinement, while crystallization proceeds via heterogenous nucleation, producing a polycrystalline interface. We show that diffusion-driven instability persists under these conditions but with modified mode selection, defining a non-classical Mullins–Sekerka regime for gas-liquid interface mineralization. Such dynamics influence pore structure evolution and transport pathways in the subsurface environment.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{wegner2026nonclassical,
  title = {{Non-classical Mullins-Sekerka instability during mineralization at gas-liquid interfaces}},
  author = {Lara Wegner and Ryan Santoso and Alireza Chogani and Joe Jennings and Dirk Bosbach and Jenna Poonoosamy},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-76568-9},
  url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-76568-9},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Non-classical Mullins-Sekerka instability during mineralization at gas-liquid interfaces
AU  - Lara Wegner
AU  - Ryan Santoso
AU  - Alireza Chogani
AU  - Joe Jennings
AU  - Dirk Bosbach
AU  - Jenna Poonoosamy
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Scientific Reports
DO  - 10.1038/s41598-026-76568-9
UR  - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-76568-9
AB  - Diffusion-driven morphological instability, described by Mullins–Sekerka theory, predicts amplification of interfacial perturbations and wavelength selection for idealized sharp interfaces. However, natural systems rarely satisfy these assumptions. Here, we investigate barite mineralization on the growing interface of CO\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}_2\end{document} gas bubbles using 3D focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography, quantitative surface analysis and reactive transport modelling. Bubble morphologies exhibit diffusion-driven instability, with dominant modes consistent with Mullins–Sekerka predictions. However, the interface violates key assumptions of the classical framework; it is porous, transport active, and evolves in pore space confinement, while crystallization proceeds via heterogenous nucleation, producing a polycrystalline interface. We show that diffusion-driven instability persists under these conditions but with modified mode selection, defining a non-classical Mullins–Sekerka regime for gas-liquid interface mineralization. Such dynamics influence pore structure evolution and transport pathways in the subsurface environment.
SN  - 2045-2322
ER  -

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