Defects and growth mechanisms of AgCl(1 0 0) tabular crystals

AgCl(I) crystals with (1 0 0) surfaces are studied with conventional transmission electron microscopy for their microstructure in relation with their growth habits. The crystals are prepared according to two different growth methods which give slightly different results. The presence of dislocations of mixed character that end at only two surfaces are in both cases responsible for the tabular growth, but the formation of these dislocations is different. In the first case, a stacking fault is formed which is eliminated by dislocations. In the second case, the incorporation of iodide impurities is at the origin of the formation of dislocations. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.