- Previous Article
- Next Article
- Table of Contents
Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.39, No.2, 199-207, 2016
Relationship between Surface Roughness, Internal Crystal Perfection, and Crystal Growth Rate
Potential mechanisms affecting growth rate dispersion (GRD) are investigated. Previous studies have identified surface roughness and internal lattice perfection as key mechanisms which are both evaluated with respect to GRD. Crystal growth of potassium dihydrogen phosphate was studied in two solvent mixtures, water and water-ethanol. The surface roughness was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and the internal crystal perfection by X-ray diffraction using a synchrotron source. The crystals grown at higher supersaturation have more pronounced and more frequent surface irregularities, supporting previous findings on a feedback mechanism between surface roughness and growth rate. No significant relationship was found between internal crystal perfection and growth rate, however, this is likely due to the size of the crystals analyzed herein and not the absence of any such mechanism in small crystals.
Keywords:Crystal growth rate;Growth rate dispersion;Internal crystal perfection;Potassium dihydrogen phosphate;Surface roughness