| Abstract: | By the method of vacuum decoration at an electronmicroscopic scale with the use of lowangle electron diffraction the dependence of brittle fracture of alkali halide crystals and of the active structure of cleavage surfaces on the character of ordered distribution of point defects in crystals has been studied. The occurrence of cleavage steps reflects the presence in crystal volume, where brittle fracture took place, of a high degree of periodicity of point defects mainly in one crystallographic direction. The smooth areas of the cleavage surface reflect the existence in these places of a periodic distribution of point defects in two mutually perpendicular crystallographic directions. Coincidence of periods between the cleavage steps with the periods in the arrangement of point defects on smooth areas of the cleavage surface allows the steps to be regarded not only as elements of the geometric microrelief but primarily as electrically active linear elements of the crystal surface, reflecting the linear arrangement of point defects. Together with cleavage steps exhibiting a stable in time activity there arise cleavage steps with an extremely high, but rather shortlived activity being the consequence of the brittle fracture process proper. The electrically active linear elements of the point defect lattice – linear elements of the potential relief of the surface – play a most important role in heterogeneous processes, in particular crystallization processes. |
