Spatially-ordered nano-sized crystallites formed by dehydration-induced single crystal cracking of CuCl 2 ·2(H 2 O)

The mechanism of the combined processes of solid-state transformation and fracture is investigated by the example of the dehydration of CuCl 2 ·2(H 2 O) crystals. A model of the coupled reaction–fracture front is used to explain the spatial order in the structure of the dehydration product. This model accounts for the feedback between the dehydration itself and the resulting mechanical processes induced by the dehydration. The non-equilibrium morphological transformation of the reaction–fracture front is studied. Its existence is explained as the result of morphological instability that appears in the flat front due to the anisotropic properties of the crystalline reactant.