Premium
Detwinning cell for high‐transition‐temperature atmosphere‐sensitive ferroelastic crystals
Author(s) -
Abrahams S. C.,
Bernstein J. L.,
Chaminade J. P.,
Ravez J.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of applied crystallography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.429
H-Index - 162
ISSN - 1600-5767
DOI - 10.1107/s0021889883010006
Subject(s) - curie temperature , materials science , atmosphere (unit) , crystal (programming language) , atmospheric temperature range , phase transition , diffraction , transition temperature , phase (matter) , reflection (computer programming) , crystallography , condensed matter physics , chemistry , optics , thermodynamics , ferromagnetism , physics , superconductivity , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language
A universal cell is reported for detwinning ferroelastic crystals, with transition temperatures that range from 300 to 1300 K, in a controlled atmosphere. A carefully oriented compressive stress on the order of 0.1–1 MN m −2 is applied to the twinned crystal at room temperature. The crystal temperature is raised from 300 K through the phase transition and is slowly lowered again under stress. The cell has been used to detwin crystals of Na 5 W 3 O 9 F 5 with a Curie temperature of 800 K in an atmosphere of flowing high‐purity oxygen, and crystals of Rb 2 KMoO 3 F 3 with a Curie temperature of 328 K in air. Successful detwinning is demonstrable by the complete conversion of high‐angle multiple‐component line profiles diffracted by the as‐grown crystal to single‐component reflection profiles.