The formation of a dislocation spiral on the (101) face of a monoclinic lysozyme crystal: High-resolution experiments

The elementary processes of crystal growth in the case of a low kink density on step edges have been studied by in situ atomic force microscopy. High-resolution images of the first turn of the polygonal dislocation spiral on the (101) face of monoclinic lysozyme crystals, which allow one to discern separate crystal cells, have been obtained. It has been shown that the dependence of the spiral segment velocity on its length is inconsistent with the Gibbs-Thomson law and is represented by several rectilinear sections. The results were explained by taking into account the features of the growth of crystals with a low kink density at low supersaturation.