Determining the Crystal Structure of Dypingite: Role of Water Content and Structural Disorder

What is it about?

Dypingite is a magnesium carbonate mineral that has puzzled scientists for 55 years due to its complex, disordered crystal structure. In this study we successfully solved this mystery by discovering that humidity controls the mineral's structural disorder.​ We found that water molecules don't distribute evenly throughout dypingite's crystal structure—instead, they accumulate irregularly between specific layers of atoms. When humidity increases, dypingite absorbs additional water molecules, causing the crystal to expand unevenly in one direction, like like a sponge swelling with water. This creates disorder that had previously made the structure impossible to determine.​ By carefully controlling humidity levels, our team produced a more ordered, dehydrated form of dypingite and finally determined its average crystal structure. We demonstrated that this process is completely reversible—the mineral can expand and contract repeatedly as humidity changes, and the degree of disorder can be controlled experimentally. This humidity-responsive behavior positions dypingite alongside modern 2D materials and opens new possibilities for using this environmentally friendly mineral in catalysis, water purification, and carbon capture applications.

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Photo by HI! ESTUDIO on Unsplash

Photo by HI! ESTUDIO on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Dypingite forms through weathering of ultramafic rocks like serpentine, naturally trapping atmospheric CO₂ in stable carbonate minerals that ensure long-term storage under Earth's surface conditions. Understanding its crystal structure is essential for accurately identifying dypingite in mineral assemblages, predicting its stability during carbon storage operations, and quantifying CO₂ sequestration capacity in geological formations.​​ Beyond carbon capture, knowledge of dypingite's structure unlocks its technological potential across multiple applications. The mineral's flower-like nanoparticle morphology with exceptionally high surface area makes it valuable for catalysis, water filtration (including heavy metal removal), pharmaceutical formulations, cosmetic carriers, flame retardants, and as a Portland cement binder. However, without accurate structural data, researchers cannot reliably identify dypingite among similar hydrated magnesium carbonates, optimize synthesis conditions for targeted applications, engineer materials with specific properties, or predict phase transformations during industrial processing.​​ The solved crystal structure now provides the foundation for rational materials design, quality control protocols in both geological carbon storage projects and industrial manufacturing, and enables researchers to exploit dypingite's unique humidity-responsive behavior for novel functional materials.

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