Abstract
IT is well known1 that the epitaxial orientation of cubic cæsium nitrate on muscovite is CsNO3(100) [010] = muscovite (001) [010] whereas the orientation of trigonal cæsium nitrate is CsNO3(11&2macr;1) [10&1macr;0] = muscovite (001) [010], [130] and [1&3macr;0] From a general point of view, the possibility of obtaining definite orientations on definite crystallo-graphic planes means that, of the many possible arrangements, there are some for which nucleation is more probable. In the language of statistical thermodynamics, this probability is p = exp(− ΔF/kT). Consequently nucleation which gives rise to epitaxial crystals corresponds to a value of ΔF less than that for other possible arrangements. The interface between epitaxial crystals and the substrate crystal presents a smaller discontinuity than any other possible arrangement. In other words, this smaller discontinuity corresponds to both a smaller interfacial free energy and a smaller elastic strain energy.
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References
Ferroni, E., and Cocchi, M., Z. Kristallogr. (in the press).
Angew. Chemie, 49, 243 (1936).
Cocchi, M., and Ferroni, E., Z. phys. Chem. (in the press).
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FERRONI, E., COCCHI, M. Kinetics of the Trigonal-to-Cubic Transition in Crystals of Cæsium Nitrate on Muscovite. Nature 181, 903 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1038/181903a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/181903a0
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