Iterative regularity and parent-offspring growth mold of stable grain array in bismuth silicate micro-crystals

Bismuth silicate micro-crystals with grain array structure were prepared by sintering method under atmosphere pressure. The samples were characterized for structural and surface morphological properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The result shows that stable grain arrays grow by iterative mode. If a stable grain array eliminates, a new stable grain array will generate. In a stable parent array, an offspring array may generate after the corresponding partial elimination of its parent array. If one part of an offspring array stops growing, it will be as a new parent array, and then its offspring grain array will create. The sum of the lengths of an offspring array and the corresponding eliminated part of its parent array is equal to the length of the next eliminated part of its parent array. It means the growth rate of an offspring array is equal to that of the corresponding survived part of its parent array. There is a highly correlation between grain array length and average grain line spacing. It means that larger average grain line spacing corresponds to the stable grain array with lager length. When average grain line spacing increases 1μm, the corresponding array length will increase approximately 7.6μm