Growth morphology of {1 0 1} surfaces of l-arginine trifluoroacetate crystals investigated by AFM Original Research Article

Surface morphology of {1 0 1} surfaces of l-arginine trifluoroacetate (LATF) crystals have been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The dominant growth mechanism of the LATF crystals is the formation and expansion of dislocation spirals. Rectangular dislocation growth hillocks oriented with their longer sides in the [0 1 0] direction, which indicates the fast growth along this direction. Apart from that, typical step morphologies are presented and discussed on the basis of the observations.