Phase Relations around the Pyrosilicate Phase in the Gd2O3−Ce2O3−SiO2 System

• Published in: Crystal growth & design 2009-03, Vol.9 (3), p.1470-1473
• Main Authors: Kawamura, Sohan, Higuchi, Mikio, Kaneko, Junichi H, Nishiyama, Shusuke, Haruna, Jun, Saeki, Shohei, Ueda, Shunsuke, Kurashige, Kazuhisa, Ishibashi, Hiroyuki, Furusaka, Michihiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Growth from melts; zone melting and refining; Growth from solutions; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Phase diagrams and microstructures developed by solidification and solid-solid phase transformations; Physics; Solidification
• ISSN: 1528-7483; 1528-7505
• DOI: 10.1021/cg800932b

The melting and solidification behavior of the (Gd0.9Ce0.1)2Si2O7 (Ce:GPS) which shows attractive scintillation performance was investigated by means of the slow cooling floating zone (SCFZ) method. Although Ce:GPS melts incongruently, the peritectic composition is estimated to be very close to the GPS composition, less than 67.0 mol % of SiO2 in the (Gd,Ce)2O3−SiO2 system. Constitutional supercooling occurred when approximately 70% volume of the melt was solidified, consequently, the lamellar structure consists of Ce:GPS and the amorphous phase was obtained. On the basis of our study, it is estimated that a volume of 70% of the starting material, whose composition is SiO2 = 67 mol % in the (Gd,Ce)2O3−SiO2 system at Ce 10 mol %, can be solidified as the GPS phase using top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) with the self-flux of SiO2.