This was the main topic of my PhD training (April 2004-December 2007), at the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology of the University of Granada (UGR).

Throughout this period, I focused my attention on the study of the effect of organic compounds in the crystallization of soluble salts, and its implications in the prevention of damage associated to salt crystallization in porous stone. In this context, I should highlight the following fields in which I obtained expertise:

i) Precipitation and phase transitions of highly soluble salts, such as Na- and Mg- sulphates and nitrates. Mainly, I developed skills in X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermodiffraction methods as well as Thermogravimetric (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) techniques applied to study phase transitions in minerals. I also extensively used Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) to study at high magnification in situ and in tempore the precipitation, dehydration and dissolution of soluble salts.

ii) Salt crystallization in porous materials. During my PhD I was trained in the acquisition and interpretation of N2, Ar adsorption-desorption isotherms as well in the use of Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry for the characterization of the porosity distribution in building materials, which is a key parameter for determining the susceptibility of porous materials to salt damage. I gained expertise at performing bulk and in situ microscale (using ESEM) and macroscale crystallization experiments in porous materials. I also gained field experience on the diagnosis, analysis and conservation of the built heritage.

iii) Modelling the interaction of organic molecules on the crystallization of highly soluble salts. I developed skills in modelling crystal surface-additive interactions by the MSI Cerius2 computer program using empirical force-field potentials. I also acquired experience in simulating crystal morphology by various algorithms implemented in Cerius2 package. Modelled changes in crystal morphology due to overdevelopment of specific faces as a consequence of additive-crystal interaction were found to accurately reproduce those observed in the precipitation experiments.