Crystal growth, thermal and optical properties of SmCa4O(BO3)3 crystal

Oxoborate crystal SmCa4O(BO3)(3) (SmCOB) has been grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method for the first time. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) of sintered material and single crystal were performed at room temperature. The DSC experiment showed that SmCOB melts congruently at 1397 degrees C. The data of thermal expansion coefficients along X, Y and Z direction have been measured to be 1.03 x 10(-5), 3.8 x 10(-6) and 8.2 x 10(-6) K-1, respectively. The specific heat of the crystal as been measured to be 66 cal/mol K at 300 K. The linear optical properties of SmCOB crystal are reported. The measured transmittance spectra from 400 to 2600 nm showed that the crystal has strong absorption peaks which are anisotropic along different crystallophysic axes in the range of 900-1700 nm. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.