Growth of Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ Whiskers from the High-Temperature Solutions of NaCl-TiO₂ System

Abstract

The slow cooling of NaCl-TiO₂ mixtures easily grew colorless and transparent Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ whiskers. The whisker growth was conducted by heating a mixture of TiO₂ and NaCl at 1100°C for 10 h, followed by cooling to 500°C at a rate of 5°C•h^-1. Whiskers having average sizes of approximately 450×10 μm were grown from high-temperature solutions containing Ti of 0.3-13 mol%. The whiskers, which were hexagonal prisms, elongated in the <010> directions.