title: Novel shape evolution of BaMoO4 microcrystals.
abstract: Dendritic BaMoO(4) microcrystals with lengths of about 5-15 microm were synthesized simply under ambient conditions by a microemulsion-mediated method within an ultrashort time. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which showed that the products were in pure tetragonal BaMoO(4) structure and that an individual dendrite had a long central stem with four array shrunken branches. Detailed studies revealed that the formation of these 3-D structures was strongly dependent on the composition of the microemulsion. At prolonged aging time, the dendrites evolved into rods and further into particles, driven by the lattice distortion energy required to evolve the crystal from a metastable to a stable state. This novel crystal shape evolution provides insight into crystallization behavior given that the growth history and shape evolution process have traditionally been poorly understood.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Hongliang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Maosong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mo