Abstract
The surface structure of the grown crystals and crystal growth rate in suspended supersaturation solution were investigated by using a differential interference microscope with a VTR system and an AFM system. It was found that the surface of the growing crystal had many fine crystals and new growth steps generated from the place of adhered fine crystals. Most of the fine crystals were in the range of 10 μm to 40 μm in size, and their orientations were random. Also the heights of the new growth steps were in the range of a few nm to about 70 nm. The crystal growth rate Gs in suspended solution was faster than the rate Gn in non-suspended solution at the same supersaturation. These rates can be given by
Gs = 1.1 × 10–1ΔC0.47 (suspended)
Gn = 4.8 × 10–2ΔC0.60 (non-suspended)
where ΔC (=Cs – C) is supersaturation, Cs and C were the saturated and fixed concentration, respectively. The growth rate Gs increased with decrease of the average crystal size Lav of the suspended crystal in an MSMPR crystallizer. An adequate linear correlation between Gs and Lav was obtained.
