The polymorphic weddellite crystals in three species of Cephalocereus (Cactaceae)

Mineral inclusions in plant cells are genetically regulated, have an ecological function and are used as taxonomic characters. In Cactaceae, crystals in epidermal and cortical tissues have been reported; however, few studies have conducted chemical and morphological analyses on these crystals, and even fewer have reported non-mineral calcium to determine its systematic value. Cephalocereus apicicephalium, C. totolapensis and C. nizandensis are Cactaceae species endemic to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico with abundant epidermal prismatic crystals. In the present study, we characterize the mineral cell inclusions, including their chemical composition and their morphology, for three species of Cephalocereus. Crystals of healthy branches of the three species were isolated and studied. The crystals were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), their morphology was described using a petrographic and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and their elemental composition was measured with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDXAR). The three species synthesized weddellite with different degrees of hydration depending on the species. The optical properties of calcium oxalate crystals were different from the core, which was calcium carbonate. We observed a large diversity of predominantly spherical forms with SEM. EDXAR analysis detected different concentrations of Ca and significant amounts of elements, such as Si, Mg, Na, K, Cl, and Fe, which may be related to the edaphic environment of these cacti. The occurrence of weddellite is novel for the genus according to previous reports. The morphological diversity of the crystals may be related to their elemental composition and may be a source of phylogenetic characters.     

Optical,dielectric and ferroelectric behaviour on doped lithium sulphate crystals

Optically transparent single crystals of urea doped with lithium sulphate (ULS), thiourea doped with lithium sulphate (TLS) and cupric chloride doped with lithium sulphate (CuLS) were grown in aqueous solution by slow evaporation technique at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the changes in the lattice parameters of the ULS, TLS and CuLS. The lattice parameters and the quality of doped crystals were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction studies. The functional groups present in the ULS, TLS and CuLS crystals were determined qualitatively by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Optical absorption studies revealed that doped crystals acquire very low absorption in the entire visible region. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) gives the chemical composition of the grown crystal. CHN analysis confirmed the presence of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen in the added dopants. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the doped crystal were studied as a function of frequency and temperature and the ferroelectric property of the crystal was confirmed by dielectric studies.     

Superheat of silicon crystals observed by live X-ray topography

In-situ observations of Si crystal growth and melting have been carried out by live X-ray diffraction topography. Superheated solid states beyond the melting point was observed for dislocation-free crystals with melting in their inside. Dislocations were found to impede superheat and to melt the crystal without an appreciable superheating. A slightly superheated state accompanying melting removes all dislocations including immobile ones by their climb motion. It is proposed that self-interstitials needed for the volume change by melting are supplied by climb of dislocations, in contrast to dislocation-free crystals creating the interstitials thermally. In real crystal growth, remelting occurs naturally by melt convection and acts to make the growing crystal dislocation-free.     

Crystal growth and dielectric, mechanical, electrical and ferroelectric characterization of n-bromo succinimide doped triglycine sulphate crystals

Single crystals of triglycine sulphate (TGS) doped with n-bromo succinimide (NBS) were grown at ambient temperature by the slow evaporation technique. An aqueous solution containing 1-20 mol% of n-bromo succinimide as dopant was used for the growth of NBSTGS crystals. The incorporation of NBS in TGS crystals has been qualitatively confirmed by FTIR spectral data. The effect of the dopant on morphology and crystal properties was investigated. The cell parameters of the doped crystal were determined by the powder X-ray diffraction technique. The dielectric constant of NBS doped TGS crystal was calculated along the ferroelectric direction over the temperature range of 30-60 °C. The dielectric constant of NBSTGS crystals decrease with the increase in NBS concentration and considerable shift in the phase transition temperature (T_C) towards the higher temperature observed. Pyroelectric studies on doped TGS were carried out to determine the pyroelectric coefficient. The emergence of internal bias field due to doping was studied by collecting P-E hysteresis data. Temperature dependence of DC conductivity of the doped crystals was studied and gradual increase in the conductivity with the increase of dopant concentration was observed. The activation energy (ΔE) calculated was found to be lower in both the ferroelectric and the paraelectric phases for doped crystals compared to that of pure TGS. The micro-hardness studies were carried out at room temperature on thin plates cut perpendicular to the b-axis. Less doped TGS crystals show higher hardness values compared to pure TGS. Piezoelectric measurements were also carried out on 010 plates of doped TGS crystals at room temperature.     

Growth and X-ray studies of (NaCl)x(KCl)y−x(KBr)1−y single crystals

Ternary mixed crystals of NaCl, KCl and KBr were grown by the melt method for the first time. Densities and refractive indices of all the grown crystals were determined and also used for the estimation of the bulk composition in the crystal. Lattice parameters and thermal parameters like Debye-Waller factor, mean square amplitude of vibration, Debye temperature and Debye frequency were determined from the X-ray powder diffraction data. The observed lattice parameters showed the existence of two phases in crystals with NaCl content greater than 0.1 mole fraction. The thermal parameters show a highly non-linear composition dependence. The results are reported.     

Effect of urea and thiourea on nonlinear optical hippuric acid crystals

Pure, urea and thiourea doped hippuric acid (HA) single crystals have been grown in acetone using slow evaporation technique at a constant temperature, with the vision to improve the properties of the crystals. The crystal systems and the unit cell parameters of the grown crystals were identified from single crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystalline nature of the grown crystals was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and the diffraction peaks were indexed. The variations in composition due to the addition of dopants were identified by CHNS analysis. FT-IR studies reveal the presence of different vibrational bands. The optical characteristics were assessed by UV–vis analysis and it indicates the transmission in the visible region. TGA and DSC studies indicate the thermal behavior of pure and doped crystals. The Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) has been tested using Kurtz Powder Technique for the pure and doped crystals. It is found that the thiourea doped hippuric acid crystals have SHG efficiency of 2.08 times higher than that of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) single crystal. The dielectric studies were carried out, and the variations of dielectric constant and dielectric loss with temperature have been studied.     

Growth aspects,spectral, thermal and hardness studies of rare earth cerium(III)nitrate doped zinc(tris) thiourea sulphate single crystals

Single crystals of pure and cerium(III)nitrate doped zinc(tris) thiourea sulphate (ZTS) were grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation method. The cell parameters of the grown crystals were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns were recorded and indexed for the structural confirmation. The presence of functional group in the compound has been confirmed by FTIR analysis. UV–vis absorption spectrum has been recorded to determine the cut-off wavelength of the crystal. TGA/DTA studies show thermal stability of the grown crystals. SEM-EDX analysis revealed the incorporation of the impurity (Ce³⁺) into ZTS crystals. The microhardness study reveals that the hardness number (H_v) increases with load for all the grown crystals of this work. From the values of work hardening coefficients, it was concluded that pure and cerium nitrate doped ZTS crystals belong to the category of soft materials. The second harmonic generation of cerium(III)nitrate doped ZTS crystals was confirmed by Kurtz–Perry powder method using Nd:YAG laser.     

不同分子量龙须菜多糖对草酸钙结晶的调控作用

植物多糖的化学结构与尿液中的结石抑制剂葡胺聚糖相似,有可能用于预防和治疗肾结石。天然多糖由于分子量和分子体积过大,导致其应用受到限制。研究了四种分子量分别为49.6,16.2,8.2和3.8 kDa的降解龙须菜多糖GLP1,GLP2,GLP3和GLP4对草酸钙(CaOx)晶体生长的调控作用。1H NMR,13C NMR和气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)谱分析表明四种GLPs由β-D-半乳糖和6-O-硫酸基-3,6-α-L-吡喃半乳糖组成。X射线衍射(XRD)检测表明,在各GLPs存在下,诱导了二水草酸钙(COD)晶体形成,COD的衍射峰出现在晶面间距d=0.617,0.441,0.277和0.224 nm处;而没有多糖存在时只生成一水草酸钙(COM)晶体,COM的衍射峰出现在d=0.593,0.364,0.296和0.235 nm。由于COD比COM更容易排出体外,COD的形成有利于降低结石形成的风险。傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)检测表明,随着GLP分子量减小或GLP浓度增加,草酸根中羧基的不对称伸缩振动ν_as(COO-)和对称对称伸缩振动ν_s(COO-)都发生了不同程度的蓝移,其中ν_as(COO-)从1 618 cm-1增加到1 642 cm-1,ν_s(COO-)从1 318 cm-1增加到1 328 cm-1,即GLP4诱导的全部是COD晶体。扫描电子显微镜(SEM)检测表明,随着GLP分子量减小,不但晶体中COD的比例增加,而且晶体的分散程度增大,晶体更加圆钝。随着GLP分子量减小或GLP浓度增加,其诱导生成的CaOx晶体表面电荷越负,Zeta电位绝对值越大,这有利于抑制晶体的聚集。电感耦合等离子体发射光谱仪(ICP)检测表明,四种GLPs均可以增加溶液中可溶性Ca2+的浓度,同时减少CaOx沉淀的生成量。在浓度为1.0 g·L-1多糖存在时,上清液中可溶性Ca2+的摩尔浓度分别为：GLP4 (37.88 μmol·L-1)>GLP3 (19.70 μmol·L-1)>GLP2 (16.05 μmol·L-1)>GLP1 (10.55 μmol·L-1)。结果表明,四种GLPs均可以抑制COM生长,诱导COD生成,降低晶体的聚集程度,增加晶体表面的Zeta电位绝对值和溶液中可溶性Ca2+浓度,减少CaOx晶体的生成量,且GLPs的调控活性与其分子量呈负相关。这些结果提示GLPs特别是分子量最小的GLP4有可能是防治CaOx结石的潜在药物。     

Structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of nonlinear optical γ-glycine single crystals

Gamma glycine was synthesized and the single crystals were grown by the slow evaporation method in the presence of lithium nitrate. Structure and crystalline nature of the grown γ-glycine crystal was confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique. It was found to crystallize in the trigonal system with space group P3₁. The chemical composition was determined by NMR. Fourier transform infrared studies revealed the functional groups present in the grown crystal and UV-vis-NIR spectra revealed the transmission properties of the crystal specimen. Surface morphology of the grown crystal was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental composition was confirmed by energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The second-order nonlinear optical property of the material was investigated by Kurtz powder technique and the relative second harmonic efficiency of γ-glycine was estimated to be higher than that of KDP. The dielectric measurement was carried out as a function of frequencies at room temperature and the results were discussed. The samples have shown piezoelectric behavior with a fairly good piezoelectric charge coefficient (d₃₃) of 7.37 pC/N. Photoluminescence studies showed emission peak around 350 nm. Thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analyses were employed to understand the thermal and physio-chemical stability of the synthesized compound.     

Observation of parametric X-rays produced by 400 GeV/c protons in bent crystals

Spectral maxima of parametric X-ray radiation (PXR) produced by 400 GeV/c protons in bent silicon crystals aligned with the beam have been observed in an experiment at the H8 external beam of the CERN SPS. The total yield of PXR photons was about 10⁻⁶ per proton. Agreement between calculations and the experimental data shows that the PXR kinematic theory is valid for bent crystals with sufficiently small curvature as used in the experiment. The intensity of PXR emitted from halo protons in a bent crystal used as a primary collimator in a circular accelerator may be considered as a possible tool to control its crystal structure, which is slowly damaged because of irradiation. The intensity distribution of PXR peaks depends on the crystal thickness intersected by the beam, which changes for different orientations of a crystal collimator. This dependence may be used to control crystal collimator alignment by analyzing PXR spectra produced by halo protons.     

Carrier tuning of type-I clathrate single crystals

A method to precisely control the carrier properties for single crystalline type-I clathrate is investigated. Polycrystalline samples are synthesized first according to the theoretical ratio for carrier control, and followed by Ga flux single crystal growth process. The composition of single crystals was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP), and the detailed structure was determined by using high-resolution X-ray diffraction. The carrier type and concentration can be tuned by changing the Ba/Ga composition for Ba₈Ga₁₆Ge₃₀ (BGG), while only n-type carrier can be achieved in Sr₈Ga₁₆Ge₃₀ (SGG). X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the different occupancy factors of the endohedral chemical species may be the reason for this carrier difference between BGG and SGG.     

Comparison of physical properties of pure and doped new metal organic crystal Bisthiourea sodium nitrate (BTSN)

Single crystals of pure and Na⁺ doped Bisthiourea Sodium Nitrate (BTSN), semi organic crystal were grown by slow evaporation technique. The grown crystals were subjected to various studies such as single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis studies, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), TG–DTA, and Vickers's microhardness were also measured. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal the crystals belong to orthorhombic crystallographic system. The mechanical property of the grown crystal was determined by microhardness studies.     

Growth and characterization of pure and doped organic nonlinear optical single crystal: l-Alanine alaninium nitrate (LAAN)

The pure l-alanine alaninium nitrate (LAAN) single crystals and LAAN crystals doped with lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), sodium chloride (NaCl), urea (CH₄N₂O), glycine (C₂H₅NO₂) and thiourea (CH₄N₂S) were grown by slow evaporation method. The X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis, UV–vis spectral analysis, dielectric studies and powder SHG measurement are studied systematically. The slight changes in the lattice parameters were observed for the doped crystals compared to pure LAAN crystal. The incorporation of doping into the crystal lattice was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. There is no change in the transmission window due to doping and the percentage of transmission in doped samples was found to increase as compared to that of pure LAAN crystal. The dielectric constant of pure crystal was found to be less than that of doped crystals. The AC conductivity was found to increase after doping and with the increase in temperature. A green radiation of 532 nm was observed from the pure and doped LAAN crystals confirming the second harmonic generation (SHG) of the crystals.     

Third order nonlinear optical properties of potassium dichromate single crystals by Z-scan technique

Single crystal of potassium dichromate (KDC) has been grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation technique. The lattice parameters of the grown crystal were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The optical absorption studies reveal that the crystal has UV cut-off wavelength around 240 nm. Thermo gravimetric and differential thermal (TGA/DTA) studies revealed that the crystal thermally stable up to 397.1 °C. The mechanical strength of the grown crystal was carried out by Vickers micro hardness test. The crystal perfection was confirmed by etching studies. Third order nonlinear optical studies was performed using by single beam Z-scan technique using continuous Nd:YAG laser. Closed aperture Z-scan studies reveal the negative nonlinearity in the crystals and open aperture Z-scan reveals the saturation absorption. Also various parameters such as nonlinear refractive index n₂, absorption co-efficient β and nonlinear optical susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ were calculated for the grown crystal.     

Structural distortion in thiourea-mixed ADP crystals

Single crystals of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) mixed with different mole concentrations of thiourea were grown using slow evaporation solution technique at 30 °C. In order to study the effect of mixing thiourea on the structural characteristics of ADP, X-ray diffraction studies were carried out on the crystals using Shimadzu X-ray diffractometer with Cu Kα radiation. X-ray study revealed that the structures of the thiourea-mixed ADP are slightly distorted compared to the pure ADP crystal structure. Inclusion of thiourea enhances the growth of () plane of the ADP crystal. Thiourea-mixed ADP crystals were found to have maximum inclusion, as the thiourea concentration was 10 mol%.     

Characterization of pure and copper-doped iron tartrate crystals grown in silica gel

Single crystal growth of pure and copper-doped iron tartrate crystals bearing composition Cu _x Fe_(1???x)C₄H₄O₆·nH₂O, where x = 0, 0.07, 0.06, 0.05, 0.04, 0.03, is achieved using gel technique. The elemental analysis has been done using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) spectrum. The characterization studies such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic analysis and thermal analysis have been done for crystals with x = 0 for pure iron tartrate and with x = 0.05 for copper-mixed iron tartrate crystals. A detailed comparison has been made between pure and doped crystals.     

尿液中的纳米晶体组分及其对草酸钙结石形成的影响

采用高分辨率透射电子显微镜、选区电子衍射、能谱分析和X射线衍射对草酸钙(CaOx)结石患者尿液中纳米晶体的组分进行了准确分析。这些技术检测到一水草酸钙(COM)、尿酸(UA)和磷酸钙(CaP)的存在,能谱分析检测到大量C,O,Ca和少量N和P等元素,表明尿纳米晶体的主要组分是COM,并含有少量的尿酸和磷酸盐。电子显微镜观察到CaOx结石患者尿纳米晶体的粒径主要分布在几十纳米,其结果与Scherer公式计算相符。采用不同孔径的微孔滤膜(0.45,1.2和3 μm)将尿液过滤后,得到的尿微晶衍射峰的数量随着滤膜孔径的增加而增加,表明尿微晶的种类增加。CaOx尿石的形成过程涉及尿液晶体的成核、生长、团聚和与细胞的粘附等过程。尿液中大量纳米COM晶体的存在是草酸钙结石形成的重要原因。纳米UA,CaP晶体能够作为晶巢促进草酸钙结石的形成。     

Crystal growth and characterization of l-phenylalaninium trichloroacetate—A new organic nonlinear optical material

Amino acid based crystals exhibit excellent nonlinear and electro-optical properties. A new nonlinear optical single crystal l-phenylalaninium trichloroacetate (LPTCA) belonging to the amino acid group was grown by the slow evaporation solution growth method. The grown crystals have been subjected to powder X-ray diffraction studies to identify the crystalline nature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study showed that LPTCA belongs to monoclinic crystal system. Fourier transform infrared study is used to confirm the presence of various functional groups in the grown crystal. Optical transparency of the grown crystals was investigated by UV-vis-NIR spectrum. The lower optical cutoff wavelength for this crystal is observed at 254 nm and energy band gap is 4.89 eV. Thermal properties of the LPTCA crystal were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques, which indicate that the material does not decompose before melting. The melting point of grown crystal was observed to be 136 °C in a melting point apparatus. The existence of nonlinear optical (NLO) property of LPTCA was confirmed by second harmonic generation test using Nd:YAG laser fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm.     

Studies on growth,structural, optical and mechanical properties of xylenol orange dye admixtured l-arginine phosphate single crystal

Bulk single crystals of pure and xylenol orange (XO) admixtured l-arginine phosphate (LAP) were grown by slow cooling technique. The cell parameters and crystallinity of pure and dye admixtured LAP crystals were confirmed by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction analyses. HRXRD analysis reveals the presence of xylenol orange dye in interstitial site of LAP crystal lattice and it confirms the crystalline perfection of grown crystals. The functional groups of grown crystals were confirmed by FTIR spectral analysis. UV–vis transmission studies show the characteristic absorption of xylenol orange admixtured LAP crystal. Vickers’ microhardness and laser damage threshold studies were carried out on these crystals. Kurtz and Perry powder test was conducted to measure the second harmonic generation efficiency of pure and dye admixtured LAP crystals.     

高分辨X射线衍射研究杂质对晶体结构完整性的影响

用水溶液生长晶体的方法生长出了不同掺杂的Sr(NO₃)₂晶体.用电子探针研究了杂质在晶体中的分布情况.结果表明,杂质在晶体中存在扇形分凝,其中Ba在{100}扇形区的含量大于{111}扇形区,而Pb的分凝情况相反,在{111}扇形区的含量大于{100}扇形区.用高分辨X射线衍射摇摆曲线技术研究了纯的、掺Ba的和掺Pb的Sr(NO₃)₂晶体的完整性情况,并用X射线衍射动力学理论计算了完整Sr(NO₃ 关键词： 高分辨X射线衍射 杂质 水溶液晶体生长