Theoretical analysis of changes in habit of growing crystals in response to variable growth rates of individual faces

Abstract

The subject of this paper is research and analysis of the kinetic conditions corresponding to changes in habits of growing crystals. In particular, the formula to evaluate the rate of changes in length of any edge in any three-dimensional crystal is presented. This formula is the basis for the analysis of changes in habits depending on growth rates of individual faces which may be described by any time-dependent or time-independent function. The theoretical predictions are verified by computer modeling performed for crystal grown in nature – wulfenite. On the example of this crystal it is shown that the presented formulae may be used as a tool to describe the evolution of crystal morphologies and to predict the habits of growing crystals at given growth rates of individual faces.