Dislocation etching of cesium iodide crystals

Abstract

In the dislocation etching of CsI crystals there is an optimal concentration of inhibitor ions to produce well faceted and contrasted etch pits. Etching characteristics reveal that the fall in the tangential velocity of dissolution occurs due to the selective absorption of Cu + ions at the kink sites thus lowering the kink motion. The role of various inhibitor ions forming strong complexes or simple compounds with the anionic constituent of the crystal, in the etching behaviour, shows neither valency nor size to be a determining factor in the selective etching of the cesium iodide crystal.