Alfitrah Bachtiar, Husni Wahyu Wijaya, I. Wayan Dasna, Nani Farida
LiZnPO4 having an ABW framework structure is one of many nanoporous materials which possess important applications. Its synthesis, characterizations, and applications have been previously reported, but not its crystal growth. The study of crystal growth is crucial to get information on how crystals grow and how small ions and molecules of solvent and solutes interact during the hydrothermal process. With this knowledge, one can control the crystal habits, such as crystal size, morphology, and defects. In this study, we observed the crystallization of LiZnPO4 (ABW) using X-ray diffraction, to produce its growth curve, combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The data were then compared with the growth simulation employing CrystalGrower (CG) program. The results showed that there were differences in the crystallization curve of the studied material with that of the common zeolite crystallization curve. Primary nucleation of the LiZnPO4 (ABW) occurred during its stirring process before the hydrothermal reaction at 70 °C. The crystals continued to grow in high supersaturation conditions until approximately 15 minutes of heating. After 60 minutes of the hydrothermal reaction, the synthesis condition has reached equilibrium. SEM analysis depicted bar-like crystal morphology with prism ends. The crystal morphology and growth profile from the laboratory observation agreed well with the CG simulation, in which a rough crystal surface was seen when supersaturation was high. This was followed by surface growth producing a smooth crystal surface when the equilibrium was reached. © 2023 Author(s).
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
