Crystal Growth in Silicate Gels

Abstract

This report is a summary of our past five years experiments on the crystal growth in gels.A technique for the growing of crystals in silicate gels was attempted. By controlling the softness and pH values of the gel at room temperature, various kinds of organic salt-crystals were grown. Acicular or needle-like crystals of Cu and Ni-oxalates and Ba-tartrate, granular or globular crystals of Fe and Co-tartrates, and single crystals of Ca, Sr, Cu and Mn tartrates were obtained. In particular, by means of the "double-layer technique" using the tube-method (T-method), the authors have attempted to enlarge a seed crystal to a larger single crystal. The growth behaviours in gel which concern the present experiment have been discussed in terms of "nucleation and growth" mechanism.