Foam-based crystal growth control

We present results concerning the control of granulometry of crystals obtained by crystallization in a pre-formed aqueous supersaturated solution. This solution is first structured as a gas–liquid dispersion, consisting in an adjacent polyedric cells system, separated by thin liquid walls, each Plateau border, acting as a micro-reactor for crystallization. This structuration permits the size limitation of crystals formed, produced in a quasi-monomodal granulometry repartition. It has been possible to relate the mean granulometric characteristics to three dimensional parameters representative of the foam internal geometry, and to elaborate a model for the prediction of the granulometric repartition of crystals formed within the foam.