Salt crystallization damage: Understanding strain at the atomic scale

Salt and ice crystallization inside the pores of building materials is a well-known deterioration mechanism, however very little is known about why some salts are more damaging than others or the development of pore level strain prior to fracture. Using energy dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the crystallization of sodium sulfate heptahydrate (Na2SO4 center dot 7H(2)O), mirabilite (Na2SO4 center dot 10 H2O) and ice is analysed in situ and quantitatively for the first time, producing data on crystal growth rate in pores and corresponding pore level strain.