Anomalous pillar-shaped crystal growth of zirconium disulfide

Abstract

Anomalous pillar-shaped crystals of zirconium disulfide (1–2 mm in lengthand 20–40 μm in diameter), which were abnormal in the sense that the whole lateral surface was a (001) plane, were grown together with platelets from a gas mixture of ZrCl 4, H 2S, H 2 and Ar on a quartz substrate at 800°C. The pillar-shaped crystals grew among a colony of platelet crystals. Hexagonally winding steps were observed among the pillar crystals. Preferable flow ratios of H 2S ( H 2S + ZrCl 4 ) to g row platelets and pillar-shaped crystals were determined to be 0.4–0.8 and 0.6–0.9, respectively. The conductivity along the pillar axis was measured to be 0.14 and 0.22 ω -1 cm -1 at 25 and 160°C, respectively. The thermoelectric power was + 730 and +600 μV/°C at 25 and 200°C, respectively.