Abstract
The dissolution behavior of the barite (001) surface in pure water at 30C was investigated using in situ AFM, to better understand the dissolution mechanism and the microtopographical changes that occur during the dissolution. The dissolution of the barite (001) surface could be divided into three stages. The first stage of the dissolution was characterized only by the retreat of various steps that were formed mechanically by the initial cleaving. During the second stage, the change in the retreat behavior (from a <hk0> step with one layer to a f step with an upper half-unit cell layer and a s step with a lower half-unit cell layer) and the formation of etch pits were observed. The last stage of the dissolution was characterized by an increase of the stable steps parallel to the [010] direction, followed by a decrease of steps parallel to <hk0> and the development of angular deep etch pits.
