Single crystal growth and transport properties of narrow-bandgap semiconductor RhP_(2)

We report the growth of high-quality single crystals of RhP_(2),and systematically study its structure and physical properties by transport,magnetism,and heat capacity measurements.Single-crystal x-ray diffraction reveals that RhP_(2) adopts a monoclinic structure with the cell parameters a=5.7347(10)A,b=5.7804(11)A,and c=5.8222(11)A,space group P2_(1)/c(No.14).The electrical resistivityρ(T)measurements indicate that RhP_(2) exhibits narrow-bandgap behavior with the activation energies of 223.1 meV and 27.4 meV for two distinct regions,respectively.The temperaturedependent Hall effect measurements show electron domain transport behavior with a low charge carrier concentration.We find that RhP_(2) has a high mobilityμ_(e)~210 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)with carrier concentrations n_(e)~3.3×10^(18)cm^(3) at 300 K with a narrow-bandgap feature.The high mobilityμ_(e) reaches the maximum of approximately 340 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)with carrier concentrations n_^(e)~2×10^(18)cm^(-3)at 100 K.No magnetic phase transitions are observed from the susceptibilityχ(T)and specific heat C_(p)(T)measurements of RhP_(2).Our results not only provide effective potential as a material platform for studying exotic physical properties and electron band structures but also motivate further exploration of their potential photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications.

Single crystal growth and characterization of 166-type magnetic kagome metals

Kagome magnets were predicted to be a good platform to investigate correlated topology band structure,Chern quantum phase,and geometrical frustration due to their unique lattice geometry.Here we reported single crystal growth of 166-type kagome magnetic materials,including HfMn_(6)Sn_(6),ZrMn_(6)Sn_(6),GdMn_(6)Sn_(6)and GdV_(6)Sn_(6),by using the flux method with Sn as the flux.Among them,HfMn_(6)Sn_(6)and ZrMn_(6)Sn_(6)single crystals were grown for the first time.X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that all four samples crystallize in HfFe6Ge6-type hexagonal structure with space group P6/mmm.All samples show metallic behavior from temperature dependence of resistivity measurements,and the dominant carrier is hole,except for GdV6Sn6 which is electron dominated.All samples have magnetic order with different transition temperatures,HfMn_(6)Sn_(6),ZrMn_(6)Sn_(6)and GdV_(6)Sn_(6)are antiferromagnetic with TN of 541 K,466 K and 4 K respectively,while GdMn_(6)Sn_(6)is ferrimagnetic with the critical temperature of about 470 K.This study will enrich the research platform of magnetic kagome materials and help explore the novel quantum phenomena in these interesting materials.The dataset of specific crystal structure parameters for HfMn_(6)Sn_(6)are available in Science Data Bank,with the link.

Single crystal growth and electronic structure of Rh-doped Sr_(3)Ir_(2)O_(7)

Ruddlesden-Popper iridate Sr_(3)Ir_(2)O_(7)is a spin-orbit coupled Mott insulator.Hole doped Sr_(3)Ir_(2)O_(7)provides an ideal platform to study the exotic quantum phenomena that occur near the metal-insulator transition(MIT)region.Rh substitution of Ir is an effective method to induce hole doping into Sr_(3)Ir_(2)O_(7).However,the highest doping level reported in Sr_(3)(Ir_(1-x)Rh_(x))_(2)O_(7)single crystals was only around 3%,which is far from the MIT region.In this paper,we report the successful growth of single crystals of Sr3(Ir_(1-x)Rh_(x))_(2)O_(7)with a doping level of~9%.The samples have been fully characterized,demonstrating the high quality of the single crystals.Transport measurements have been carried out,confirming the tendency of MIT in these samples.The electronic structure has also been examined by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)measurements.Our results establish a platform to investigate the heavily hole doped Sr_(3)Ir_(2)O_(7) compound,which also provide new insights into the MIT with hole doping in this material system.

Precipitates identification in R_2PdSi_3(R= Pr,Tb and Gd) single crystal growth

Floating zone method with optical radiation heating was applied to growing a class of R2PdSi3（R=Pr,Tb and Gd） single crystals due to its containerless melting and high stability of the floating zone.One serious problem during the single crystal growth,precipitates of secondary phases,was discussed from the following four parts：precipitates from the raw materials and preparation process,precipitates formed during the growing process,precipitates in the melts and precipitates in the grown crystals.Annealing treatment and composition shift can effectively reduce the precipitates which are not formed during the crystallization but precipitated on post-solidification cooling from the as-grown crystal matrix because of the retrograde solubility of Si.

Microstructure and crystal growth direction of Al-Cu alloy

The microstructures and crystal growth directions of permanent mould casting（PMC） and directionally solidified（DS） Al-Cu alloys with different contents of Cu were investigated. Simultaneously, the effects of pouring temperature on the microstructure and crystal growth direction of permanent mould casting pure Al were also discussed. The results indicate that the α（Al） crystals in the pure Al do not always keep common columnar grains, but change from the columnar grains to columnar dendrites with developed arms as the pouring temperature rises. The growth direction also varies with the change of pouring temperature. Cu element has similar effects on the microstructures of the PMC and DS casting Al-Cu alloys and the α（Al） crystals gradually change from columnar crystals in turn to columnar dendrites and developed equiaxed dendrites as the Cu content increases. The crystal growth direction in the PMC alloys gradually approaches （110） orientation with increasing Cu content. But the resulting crystals with growth direction of （110） do not belong to feathery grains. There are also no feathery grains to form in all of the DS Al-Cu alloys.

Crystal growth of Gd_2PdSi_3 intermetallic compound

Gd2PdSi3 single crystals were grown by a vertical floating zone method with radiation heating at a zone traveling rate of 3 mm/h. The compound exhibited congruent melting behavior at a liquidus temperature of about 1700 ＆#176;C. The slightly Pd-depleted composition of the crystal, with respect to the nominal Gd2PdSi3 stoichiometry, led to gradual accumulation of Pd in the traveling zone and to a decreasing operating temperature during the growth process. Thin platelet-like precipitates of a GdSi phase were detected in the stoichiometric feed rod growth crystal matrix which can be reduced by annealing treatment. Feed rod composition shift crystal growth was proved to be a better way of getting high quality of Gd2PdSi3 single crystal.

Stability of Crystal Growth Face and Dissolution Face in Crystallization from Solution under Microgravity

The stability of the shapes of crystal growth face and dissolution face in a two-dimensional mathematical model of crystal growth from solution under microgravity is studied. It is proved that the stable shapes of crystal growth face and dissolution face do exist, which are suitably shaped curves with their upper parts inclined backward properly.The stable shapes of crystal growth faces and dissolution faces are calculated for various values of parameters, Ra, Pr and Sc. It is shown that the stronger the convection relative to the diffusion in solution is, the more backward the upperparts of the stable crystal growth face and dissolution face are inclined. The orientation and the shape of dissolution face hardly affect the stable shape of crystal growth face and vice versa.

Crystal Growth of Nitrogenase CrFe Protein and MnFe Protein in Space

Nitrogenase CrFe protein and MnFe protein were purified from a mutant strain UW3 of Azotobacter vinelandii Lipmann grown on a medium containing Cr and Mn, respectively. In order to meet the requirement for crystal growth Of O-2-susceptible proteins including nitrogenase in space, crystallization conditions were optimized for the proteins using a simple and suitable device, as a replacement for the cumbersome anaerobic box (dry box), for anaerobic addition of the protein samples. In all used precipitant and protein solutions added in the simplified plexi glass box, CrFe protein and MnFe protein could be crystallized on the spacecraft in one week by the liquid/liquid diffusion method and vapor diffusion by the sitting drop method, respectively. All formed crystals were single on the spacecraft, but under the same condition twin crystals appeared on the ground. The size of the largest crystal grown in space from CrFe protein was 2-fold larger than that on the ground. But the size of the largest crystal grown in space from MnFe protein was not larger than that on the ground. The difference in crystal growth in space between CrFe protein and MnFe protein could be resulted from the crystallization method, rather than the kind of protein.

Polymorphism of D-mannitol:Crystal structure and the crystal growth mechanism

The polymorphism of D-Mannitol(mannitol) is reviewed in this paper. It was found that the structure of the stable form is consistent in most literatures, but different authors have given different information about the two metastable forms. Therefore the commonly used nomenclature of mannitol was summarized based on the crystal unit cell parameters with the help of X-ray powder diffraction. Moreover, the crystal growth mechanism of mannitol polymorphs was summarized. Considering the lack of kinetic data for the metastable form especially, a reported method was attempted to apply to δ mannitol in an aqueous cooling crystallization process based on the induction time previously measured, and it was identified that the growth of the δ form follows the two-dimensional(2D) nucleationmediated mechanism. The results also indicate that the method based on induction time and supersaturation should have the potential to be expanded to the metastable polymorphs for the growth property study in a bulk system.

Bulk single crystal growth of SiGe by PMCZ method

A new type of magnetic device was used to replace the conventionalelectro-magnetic field for CZSi (doped with Ge) growth. The device was composed of three permanentmagnetic rings and called PMCZ device. The lines of magnetic force are horizontally distributed atradial 360℃. Using the ring permanent magnetic field, thermal convection in melt and centrifugalpumping flows due to crystal rotation could be strongly suppressed so that the fluctuations oftemperature and micro-growth rate at solid/liquid interface could be restrained effectively. In thePMCZ condition, the growing environment of SiGe bulk single crystal was similar to the crystalgrowth in space under the condition of micro-gravity. The motion of impurities (Ge, oxygen, etc.)had been controlled by diffusion near the solid/liquid interface. Oxygen concentration became lowerand the distribution of composition became more homogeneous along longitudinal direction and acrossa radial section in the grown SiGe crystal. The mechanism of PMCZ superior to MCZ was alsodiscussed.

FEM simulations and experimental studies of the temperature field in a large diamond crystal growth cell

We investigate the temperature field variation in the growth region of a diamond crystal in a sealed cell during the whole process of crystal growth by using the temperature gradient method （TGM） at high pressure and high temperature （HPHT）. We employ both the finite element method （FEM） and in situ experiments. Simulation results show that the temperature in the center area of the growth cell continues to decrease during the process of large diamond crystal growth. These results are in good agreement with our experimental data, which demonstrates that the finite element model can successfully predict the temperature field variations in the growth cell. The FEM simulation will be useful to grow larger high-quality diamond crystal by using the TGM. Furthermore, this method will be helpful in designing better cells and improving the growth process of gem-quality diamond crystal.

Luminescence Properties and Crystal Growth of Er/Yb Codoped KGd(WO_4)_2

In this paper, the spectral and luminescence properties of a series of KGd（WO4）2 powder samples codoped with different concentrations of Er^3＋ and Yb^3＋ were reported,and the best doping concentrations were found to be lat% Er^3＋ and 10at% Yb^3＋ for attaining the strongest intensity. The Er^3＋/yb^3＋ codoped KGd（WO4）2 crystal with good optical quality was grown by the TSSG method and the growth conditions were presented. The unpolarized absorption and emission spectra of the crystal have been measured. The strong absorption peak is at 980 nm with a FWHM of 65 nm, and the emission peak is at 1536 nm when pumped by 976 rim. The fluorescence lifetime of manifold ^4I13/2 is estimated to be 4.5 ms at room temperature.Investigations of Er, Yb：KGW crystal have shown it to have necessary combination of properties to get an effective generation of - 1.54 μm eye-safe radiation with laser diode pumping.

Single Crystal Growth and Physical Property Characterization of Non-centrosymmetric Superconductor PbTaSe_2

We report on the single crystal growth and superconducting properties of PbTaSe2 with the non-centrosymmetric crystal structure. By using the chemicM vapor transport technique, centimeter-size single crystals are success- fully obtained. The measurement of temperature dependence of electricaJ resistivity p（T） in both normal and superconducting states indicates a quasi-two-dimensional electronic state in contrast to that of polycrystalline samples. Specific heat C（T） measurement reveals a bulk superconductivity with Tc ≈ 3.75K and a specific heat jump ratio of 1.42. All these results are in agreement with a moderately electron-phonon coupled, type-g Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superconductor.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties of p-type polycrystalline SnSe by regulating the anisotropic crystal growth and Sn vacancy

Thermoelectric selenides have attracted more and more attentions recently.Herein,p-type Sn Se polycrystalline bulk materials with good thermoelectric properties are presented.By using the SnSe2 nanostructures synthesized via a wetchemistry route as the precursor,polycrystalline Sn Se bulk materials were successfully obtained by a combined heattreating process under reducing atmosphere and following spark plasma sintering procedure.As a reference,the Sn Se nanostructures synthesized via a wet-chemistry route were also fabricated into polycrystalline bulk materials through the same process.The thermoelectric properties of the Sn Se polycrystalline transformed from SnSe2 nanostructures indicate that the increasing of heattreating temperature could effectively decrease the electrical resistivity,whereas the decrease in Seebeck coefficient is nearly invisible.As a result,the maximum power factor is enhanced from 5.06×10^-4W/m·K^2 to 8.08×10^-4W/m·K^2 at 612℃.On the other hand,the reference sample,which was obtained by using Sn Se nanostructures as the precursor,displays very poor power factor of only 1.30×10^-4W/m·K^2 at 537℃.The x-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscope（SEM）,x-ray fluorescence（XRF）,and Hall effect characterizations suggest that the anisotropic crystal growth and existing Sn vacancy might be responsible for the enhanced electrical transport in the polycrystalline Sn Se prepared by using SnSe2 precursor.On the other hand,the impact of heat-treating temperature on thermal conductivity is not obvious.Owing to the boosting of power factor,a high z T value of 1.07 at 612℃ is achieved.This study provides a new method to synthesize polycrystalline Sn Se and pave a way to improve the thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline bulk materials with similar layered structure.

Model of apparent crystal growth rate and kinetics of seeded precipitation from sodium aluminate solution

Based on the population balance equation in a batch crystallizer characteristic of seeded precipitation, a model to calculate the rate of apparent crystal growth of aluminum hydroxide from the size distribution was deve- loped. The simulation results indicate that the rate of apparent crystal growth during seeded precipitation exhibits a manifest dependence on the crystal size. In general, there is an obvious increase in the apparent crystal growth rate with the augment in crystal size. The apparent activation energy increases with the increase of characteristic crystal size, which indicates that the growth of small crystals is controlled by surface chemical reaction; it is gradually controlled by both the surface reaction and diffusion with the augment in crystal size.

Liquid State Undercoolability and Crystal Growth Kinetics of Ternary Ni-Cu-Sn Alloys

The liquid state undercoolability and crystal growth kinetics of ternary Ni-5%Cu-5%Sn and Ni-10%Cu-10%Sn alloys are investigated by the glass fluxing method. In these two alloys, experimental maximum undercoolings of 304 K （0.18TL ） and 286K （0.17TL ） are achieved and the dendritic growth velocities attain 39.8 and 25.1 m/s, respectively. The transition of morphology from coarse dendrite into equiaxed structure occurs and the grain size of the a （Ni） phase decreases remarkably when the undercooling increases. Both the lattice constant and microhardness increase obviously with the enhancement of undercooling. The enrichment of Cu and Sn solute contents reduces the dendritic growth velocity, while enhances the lattice constant and microhardness of a （Ni） phase.

The effect of far field flow on a spherical crystal growth in the undercooled melt

The effect of convective flow on a spherical crystal growth in the undercooled melt with a moderate far field flow is studied. The asymptotic solution of the evolution of the interface of the spherical crystal growth is obtained by the matched asymptotic expansion method. The analytic result shows that the convective flow in the undercooled melt has a strong effect on the evolution of spherical crystal growth. The convective flow induced by the far field flow makes the interface of the growing spherical crystal enhance its growth velocity in the upstream direction of the far field flow and inhibit growth in the downstream direction, and the interface of the decaying spherical crystal further decay in the upstream direction and inhibit decay in the downstream direction. The maximum growth velocity of the interface of the spherical crystal influenced by the far field flow is obtained.

Optimization of heat shield for single silicon crystal growth by using numerical simulation

In integrated circuit-grade single silicon Czochralski growth, the position and material of heat shield are main parameters affecting the heat exchange and crystal growth condition. By optimizing the above parameters, we attempted to increase the growth rate and crystal quality. Numerical simulation proved to verify the results before and after optimization. Through analyses of the temperature and microdefect distribution, it is found that the optimized heat shield can further increase the pulling rate and decrease the melt/crystal interface deflection, increase the average velocity of argon flow from ~2 to ~5 m&middots-1, which is in favor of the transportation of SiO, and obtain the low defects concentration crystal and that the average temperature along the melt-free surface is 8 °C higher than before avoiding supercooled melt effectively. © The Nonferrous Metals Society of China and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.

Effect of 6H-SiC crystal growth shapes on thermo-elastic stress in the growing crystal

The effect of 6H-SiC crystal growth shapes on the thermo-elastic stress distribution in the growing crystal was systematically in- vestigated by using a finite element method. The thermo-elastic stress distribution in the crystal with a flat growth shape was more homoge- neous than that in the crystals with concave and convex growth shapes, and the value of thermo-elasticity in the crystal with a fiat growth shape was also smaller than that in the two other types of crystals. The maximum values of thermo-elastic stress appeared at interfaces be- tween the crystal and the graphite lid. If the lid was of the same properties as 6H-SiC, the thermo-elastic stress would decrease in two orders of magnitude. Thus, to grow 6H-SiC single crystals of high quality, a transition layer of SiC formed by deposition or reaction is suggested; meanwhile the thermal field in the growth chamber should be adjusted to maintain the crystals with fiat growth shapes.

Crystal Growth Kinetics of Nanocrystalline ZnS under Surface Adsorption

The crystal growth mechanism, kinetics, and microstructure development play a fundamental role in tailoring the materials with controllable size and morphology. In this study, by introducing the strong surface adsorption of the concentrated NaOH, two-stage crystal growth kinetics of ZnS nanoparficles was observed. In the first stage, the primary particles grow into a size over a hundred times of the original volume and the growth is controlled by the crystallographically specific oriented attachment. The first stage data were fitted by the ＂multistep OA kinetic model＂ built based on the molecular collision and reaction. In the second stage, following the dispersal of nanoparficles, an abrupt transition from asymptotic to parabola growth kinetics occurs, which can be fitted by a standard Ostwald ripening volume diffusion model. The presence of surface adsorption causes the two-stage growth kinetics and permits an almost exclusive OA-based growth to dominate in the first stage.