Single Crystal Self-Assembly

The overall objective of this program is to develop a practical process for the production of large crystals of BaTiO3 via solid phase consolidation of nanoscale powders. To accomplish this goal three key challenges need to be addressed: 1) a facile synthetic procedure for generating micron-scale seed crystals, 2) a process for patterning seed crystals with a high degree of control over their crystallographic orientation, and 3) a solid phase consolidation procedure that yields high quality crystals. Phase I of this project will be primarily focused on the first challenge. Nano Terra will team with Prof. Younan Xia at Georgia Technical Institute to develop a facile synthesis of BaTiO3 crystals with well defined geometries and tight size distributions on the order of 50µm. Seed crystals will be characterized using electron microscopy, EDAX, and x-ray diffraction. Seed crystal will be patterned by template assisted self-assembly, a technique developed in Prof. Xia's lab that can be used to generate arrays with a high degree of control over the particles placement and orientation. Phase II will be focused on optimization of the seed crystal patterning process and the development of the consolidation process to yield high quality crystals.