Stability of faceted growth forms from melts and in the presence of impurities

Transition from regular polyhedron to skeleton shape for crystals growing from melts is considered. This transition is due to the lower undercooling in central parts of facets as compared with vertexes. It is the growth rate anisotropy which withstands to that undercooling inhomogeneity. For very strong anisotropy the stability criterion is determined as the crystal size above which the undercooling in the centers of facets approaches zero. For arbitrary anisotropy the stability criterion presents the relationship between crystal size and small distortion of facets.     

Acoustic study of elastic properties,dislocation damping and plasticity of crystals

The results of acoustic studies of elasticity and dislocation inelasticity of crystals are presented. Regularities of elastic anisotropy variation with ionicity of bonds in A_NB_8-N crystals have been considered. Amplitude dependences of ultrasound damping supply the information on dislocation structure and dislocation — to point defect interaction. Oscillation of dislocations during internal friction measurements are compared to their translation motion at the onset of plastic flow.     

Acoustical properties of single crystals of mercurous halides

Velocities of propagation of elastic waves along principal crystallographic directions in Hg₂Br₂ and Hg₂J₂ single crystals were measured using the pulse and phase-pulse techniques. The values obtained were used to calculate the components of the elastic tensors c_ik and s_ik, as well as the phase and group velocities of propagation of longitudinal and transverse waves in the (100) and (001) planes, and the angular deviation of acoustic energy flux from the direction of the corresponding wave normal. Knowledge of the anisotropy of the elastic properties of Hg₂X₂ crystals and of their change with the anion (X = Cl, Br, J) leads to deeper understanding of the character of bonds in the crystal lattice and points the way to a better utilization of technical properties of the crystals. — Minimum velocity of propagation of an elastic wave falls in the case of Hg₂J₂ to a value v [100] [11 10] = 0,25 · 10⁵ cm/s, what is the lowest value known among all crystals. Maximum angular deviation of acoustic energy flux — nearly 50° — is exhibited by the quasi-longitudinal wave in Hg₂J₂ crystals. On substituting the Cl⁻ ions with Br⁻ and J⁻ ions, the anisotropy of elastic moduli C₃₃/C₁₁ increases by nearly 80%. Different mechanisms contribute to vectorial dependence of the elastic properties along different crystallographic directions.     

Electro-optical effects in anisotropic crystals: I. The Pockels effect

The perturbation-theory method is proposed to calculate the induced anisotropy optical effects in crystals with different symmetries. On its basis, the influence of the Pockels effect on the light propagation in crystals with different symmetries is analyzed using Fedorov’s approach of invariant vector fields. This approach has many advantages over known methods in calculating different versions of Pockels effect application for different purposes. Calculation schemes are presented that make it possible to select longitudinal and transverse versions of electro-optical sensors and modulators, which can be used, in particular, to design optical measuring transformers and electric field sensors in high-voltage power lines.     

Zur Integration der Grundgleichungen für bewegte Eigenspannungsquellen in kubischen Kristallen

Solutions of the equations of dislocation theory are given being based on a mathematical method which decouples the system of differential equations for the displacement vector. The solutions regard elastic anisotropy of crystalline matter not only in statics but also in dynamics. — The method succeeds in the case of plane strain in cubic or hexagonal crystals, allowing most general plastic distorsions as well as processes of arbitrary timedependence. Decoupling is the basis for using complex variable methods which may be applied when dislocations move in a uniform way.     

Plastic bend in a growing crystal

In case of nonlinear axial temperature distribution the relaxation of thermoelastic stresses results in the plastic bend of the growing crystal, i. e. in the generation of a residual lattice curvature equal to ϱ b . Based on results from Billig and from Indenbom the author presents estimations of dislocation densities (ϱ) (i. e. residual lattice curvature) taking into account an elastic limit differing from zero. It is shown that sign and value of the residual lattice curvature may be effectively used as criteria pointing out how thermal conditions should be changed for abtaining more perfect crystals. This approach application allowed to grow larger KCl single crystals (300 mm in diameter more than 100 kg by weight) with better structure perfection (specific subboundaries surface 2—3 cm²/cm³, mean subgrain dimension 0.6—1 cm, mean mutual disorientation of subgrains of not more than 6′).     

Diamagnetic Anisotropy Measurements of Nematic Liquid Crystals

Electro-optic effect of liquid crystals in the presence of a magnetic field was investigated. Two independent techniques: magnetic field dependent threshold voltage and magnetic field-assisted relaxation time, were used to evaluate the diamagnetic anisotropy for three nematic liquid crystals: BDH-E7, RO-TN-103 and ZLI-1132. Correlation between the diamagnetic anisotropy and the molecular structures was obtained. This information is particularly important for synthesizing liquid crystal components with desired diamagnetic anisotropy.     

Small-angle x-ray scattering study of polymer structure: Carbosilane dendrimers in hexane solution

The three-dimensional organization of monodisperse hyper-branched macromolecules of regular structure—carbosilane dendrimers of zero, third, and sixth generations—has been studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in solution. The use of modern methods of SAXS data interpretation, including ab initio modeling, has made it possible to determine the internal architecture of the dendrimers in dependence of the generation number and the number of cyclosiloxane end groups (forming the shell of dendritic macromolecules) and show dendrimers to be spherical. The structural results give grounds to consider carbosilane dendrimers promising objects for forming crystals with subsequent structural analysis and determining their structure with high resolution, as well as for designing new materials to be used in various dendrimer-based technological applications.     

Microhardness and Resistivity Anisotropy of ZnO Plastic Deformation

In the work is shown that hydrothermally grown ZnO crystals are characterized by the mosaic structure of ‘columnar’ type. The experimental and theoretical data about geometry of the slip systems in ZnO crystals are obtained and also anisotropy of the microhardness is measured.     

Anisotropy of the Mechanical Properties of TbF<Subscript>3</Subscript> Crystals

TbF₃ (sp. gr. Pnma) crystals up to 40 mm in diameter have been grown from melt by a Bridgman technique. The anisotropy of their mechanical properties is studied for the first time. the technical elasticity constants are calculated, and room-temperature values of Vickers microhardness for the (010) and (100) planes are measured. The shape of indentation impressions is found to correlate with Young’s modulus anisotropy for TbF₃ crystals.     

Experimental Solution of the Local Field Problem in Uniaxial Liquid Crystals†

A method of experimental determination of the Lorentz-factor tensor in uniaxial liquid crystals is suggested. The specific features of the local field tensor of the light wave in a nematic liquid crystal with low optical anisotropy have been investigated experimentally. Anisotropy of the local field and Lorentz-factor tensors has been found to decrease with the decreasing optical and molecular-optical anisotropies. These results appear to contradict the existing polarization theories of liquid crystals. The local field problem in cholesteric liquid crystals has been considered. A new approach to the local field problem in uniaxial liquid crystals with arbitrary optical anisotropy is developed and the experimental results are explained.     

Specific features of the optical spectra in Tl2In2S3Se layered single crystals

The optical properties of Tl₂In₂S₃Se layered single crystals have been studied by means of transmission and reflection measurements in the wavelength range of 450‐1100 nm. The analysis of the absorption data revealed the presence of both optical indirect and direct transitions with energy band gaps of 2.16 and 2.42 eV, respectively. The observed coexistence of indirect and direct energy band gaps is related to the anisotropy of the Tl‐containing layered crystals. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the Wemple‐DiDomenico single‐effective‐oscillator model. The refractive index dispersion parameters: oscillator energy, dispersion energy, oscillator strength and zero‐frequency refractive index were found to be 4.78 eV, 43.58 eV, 13.18 × 10¹³ m^–2 and 3.18, respectively. From X‐ray powder diffraction study, the parameters of monoclinic unit cell were determined. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Linear optical properties and Raman spectroscopy of natural fluorapatite

Precision refractive indices and their dispersion in the visible and near IR range (430 – 2400 nm) and thermal expansion (including its anisotropy and temperature dependence between 144 K and 673 K) were determined for gem‐quality crystals of fluorapatite from Durango, Mexico. In addition, results of a polarized Raman spectroscopy study on these crystals are given. Fluorapatite crystals show moderate values of thermal expansion with small anisotropy. The linear optical properties of the crystals allow no phase matching for third harmonic generation, but signalize, together with the Raman characteristics, a potential suitability of fluorapatite as nonlinear optical material for χ⁽³⁾‐based stimulated Raman scattering.     

Formation of dislocation structure in shaped single crystals during their growth from the melt by Stepanov's Method

The paper is concerned with the formation of a dislocation structure due the thermal stresses in shaped single crystals with different degree of anisotropy grown by Stepanov's method. The calculation of root-mean-square tangential stresses allows to determine the regions in which the plastic deformation may occur. Analysis of thermal stresses in separate slip systems permits to explaine the slipe band distribution in shaped single crystals.     

Atomic structure and high anisotropy of thermal expansion in NiSi single crystals. II. Temperature-induced structural changes

X-ray diffraction analysis of the atomic structure of NiSi crystals was performed by diffraction data obtained at 295 and 418 K. The temperature-induced changes in the bond lengths and valence angles were analyzed and the high anisotropy of thermal expansion of these single crystals was interpreted in terms of crystal chemistry.     

Composition Dependency of Lattice Anisotropy of TlBX2‐type Chain Mixed Crystals

Variation of the lattice parameters of TlTl_1‐xIn_xSe₂ chain mixed crystals with composition have been studied by X‐ray diffraction technique. The lattice anisotropy ( c/a ) of the TlBX₂‐type mixed crystals changes linearly with substitution of the atoms located both at the center and at the vertices of the BX4 tetrahedra. A brief survey of the important features of the effect of isomorphic atom substitution on the lattice anisotropy of TlBX₂‐type mixed crystals with chain structure has been presented.     

Influence of the surface on the properties of macro-and nanocrystals

The influence of the surface energy on the properties of macro-and nanocrystals has been considered. It is shown that the properties of small crystals (several microns and less) depend on their dimensions, which is explained by an increase of the number of surface atoms in the total number of all the atoms in a crystal. On the basis of the energy criterion of crystalline substance amorphization, a formula relating the surface energy of a crystal to its crystal-lattice parameters is derived. The surface energies of elemental crystals are calculated. It is assumed that anisotropy in contact-melting temperature of single crystals can be observed experimentally.     

Synthesis and characterization of ZSM-8-type zeolite crystals

Procedure for hydrothermal synthesis of ZSM-8-type zeolite crystals, using TEA—OH as a template, in the system having molar composition 16.2 (Na₂O) — Al₂O₃ — 117 (SiO₂) — 4.8 (TEA)₂O — 3887 H₂O at 170 °C is described. Results of characterization of these crystals by XRD, IR, EDAX, SEM, TGA, and adsorption studies are described and discussed. X-ray diffraction studies establish that the crystals are ZSM-8-type with structure similar to that of ZSM-5-type crystals. Crystals have prismatic bipyramidal morphology with average size 18–25 microns. Degased calcined samples adsorb xylenes in the order p > m > 0. Pore length per unit cell, estimated from n-hexane adsorption studies, is 46 Å.     

Floating zone growth and high-temperature hardness of CrB2 single crystals

Single crystals of CrB₂ were prepared by the floating zone method. The crystal quality was improved by controlling the molten zone composition. The crystals preferentially grew normal to the plane which has the lowest Vickers hardness, similar to the other refractory boride crystals. On the growth plane, the direction of the a-plane, which longitudinally exists along the crystal rod, was controlled without the seed crystal by the position of the lower sintered rod. The anisotropy in the hardness was also consistent with morphology of the crystals prepared by the flux growth. In addition, the hardness measurement was useful for estimating the quality of refractory crystals in the floating zone growth.