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Electrical Processes Occurring at the Moment of Cleaving NaCl Crystals
Author(s) -
Distler G. I.,
Gerasimov Y. M.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
kristall und technik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0023-4753
DOI - 10.1002/crat.19720070409
Subject(s) - polarization (electrochemistry) , cleavage (geology) , coalescence (physics) , condensed matter physics , chemistry , materials science , chemical physics , crystallography , molecular physics , physics , composite material , astrobiology , fracture (geology)
Abstract The electrical processes occurring on cleaving tempered NaCl crystals have been studied by decoration methods on the scale of electron microscopy. The decorating agent, gold, was evaporated at the moment of performing the cleavage. The obtained decoration pictures differed from those described in the literature. Features similar to the propagation of waves were observed. They begin on cleavage steps and are mostly parallel to 〈100〉. On interaction of the “waves” with the steps or with other “waves” there arise black “threads” distinguished, the same as the wave boundaries, owing to a very high contrast on account of the higher density of decorating particles. The waves and threads are interpreted as microbreakdowns, which have also a two‐stage character ‐ stages of wave and thread formation, propagate along definite crystallographic directions, and occur at the boundary of strained sites. The charge sign of the waves is determined from the degree of coalescence of decorating gold particles. The detected waves reflect the occurrence of specific polarization states in local sites of the surface. These states are induced by local electric fields of a very high intensity occurring on cleaving the crystals. These polarization states disappear in 10‐15 s after the cleavage is made due to neutralization of the charges. Analogy is drawn between polarization structures in form of waves and stable linear polarization bridges occurring in crystals between oppositely charged point defects and their assemblies.