title: A(2+) Cation Control of Chiral Domain Formation in A(TiO)Cu4(PO4)4 (A = Ba, Sr).
abstract: Single crystals of two novel tetragonal chiral materials, A(TiO)Cu4(PO4)4 (A = Ba, Sr), were grown from Na2Mo2O7 flux, and their crystal and chiral domain structures were characterized. Polarized-light microscopy studies of the chiral domain structures in the crystals show that Ba(TiO)Cu4(PO4)4 mostly hosts a multidomain state, while a monodomain state predominantly appears in Sr(TiO)Cu4(PO4)4. To explain this striking difference, we quantified the chirality strength of these materials by comparing atomic positions in the chiral and nearest-achiral crystal structures, revealing larger chirality strength in Sr(TiO)Cu4(PO4)4 than in Ba(TiO)Cu4(PO4)4. Our proposed mechanisms linking the chirality strength and domain formation can account for the different occurrence frequency of chiral domains in this system.
authors.affiliation: Division of Materials Physics, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University , Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Division of Materials Physics, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University , Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sera
authors.affiliation: Division of Materials Physics, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University , Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura