TITLE:
Comparative Study of Pure and Magnesium Doped Cadmium Mercury Thiocyanate Single Crystals – Gel Technique
AUTHORS:
P. Nisha Santha Kumari, S. Kalainathan
KEYWORDS:
Crystal growth; Diffusion; X-ray diffraction; Mechanical properties.
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
Vol.7 No.4,
December
20,
2008
ABSTRACT: Growth of magnesium doped cadmium mercury thiocyanate single crystals from silica gel by the
process of diffusion and a comparative study with pure cadmium mercury thiocyanate are
discussed. The X-ray diffraction studies reveal the crystal lattice of the doped crystal to be
tetragonal showing that the incorporation of the metallic dopant has not altered the structure of
the parent crystal. Investigation on the crystalline perfection of the grown crystal by high
resolution X-ray diffraction analysis reveals the quality of the doped crystal to be extremely
good. Fourier transform infrared and transmission spectra were also recorded for the grown
crystals. The thermal stabilities of the crystals were investigated by thermogravimetric and
differential thermal analyses. Vickers microhardness studies reveal that the presence of dopant
has changed the nature of the crystal from soft to hard material category. The second harmonic
generation efficiencies of the crystals were measured with respect to urea.