Electron and light microscopy studies on the domain structures of Zn3B7O13Cl, Zn3B7O13Br and Zn3B7O13I ferroic boracites.

The domain structures of Zn3B7O13Cl, Zn3B7O13Br and Zn3B7O13I boracite single crystals were studied by means of polarized light in conjunction with electron microscopy. Single crystals of the three compositions were grown by chemical transport reactions in closed quartz ampoules, at a temperature of 900 degrees C and were examined by polarizing optical microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For both PLM and SEM, the same as-grown samples were used without having to resort to metallization of the crystal faces. For TEM the single crystals were crushed and mounted on holey carbon films. Comparative electron microscope images were useful for revealing the domain structure of these ferroelectric/ferroelastic materials previously observed between the crossed polars of an optical microscope. X-ray diffraction analysis of the pulverized crystals was performed for this triad of halogen boracites containing zinc as a common metal.