Synthesis and crystal growth of sillenite phases in the Bi2O3 - TiO2 - Nb2O5 system by T. O. dos Santos, J. F. Carvalho, and A. C. Hernandes

Crystal Research and Technology

Cryst. Res. Technol. 39, 868 (2004) - Abstract -

Synthesis and crystal growth of sillenite phases in the Bi₂O₃ - TiO₂ - Nb₂O₅ system

T. O. dos Santos, J. F. Carvalho, and A. C. Hernandes*

Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Goiás, C.P. 131. CEP 74001-970, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
*Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, C.P.369, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

Keywords	crystal growth, BTO crystals, photorefractive sillenite crystals
PACS	81.10.fq, 81.20.Ka, 61.10.NZ
DOI	10.1002/crat.200410268

The synthesis of Bi₂O₃-Nb₂O₅ sillenite phase (BNbO) and the solubility of this phase with Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ was investigated by solid-state reaction synthesis and niobium doped Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ (BTO:Nb) crystals were grown by the Top Seeded Solution Growth (TSSG) technique. The structures of polycrystalline compounds were checked by X-ray powder diffraction method at room temperature. The correct composition of the sillenite phase stabilized with niobium was determined as Bi₁₂[Nb_0.17Bi_0.83]O_19.7 (BNbO) with unit cell parameter a = 10.261(2) Å. The system BTO-BNbO is poorly soluble, but niobium doped BTO crystals were grown from the liquid composition 10Bi₂O₃ : xTiO₂ : (1-x)/2 Nb₂O₅, with x = 0.95 and 0.90. A niobium concentration limit in the liquid phase is established in order to grow BTO:Nb with good crystalline quality.

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