Single Crystal Growth at Warwick

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We propose to continue to build on our successful crystal growth activities at Warwick. We will produce high quality single crystals of a whole range of oxides, borides, carbides and silicides. These include superconductors (NaxCoO2 yH2O) various low dimensional and frustrated magnetic materials (RBaCo2O5.d, Ca3Co2O6, Kagom staircase compounds, Pyrochlores, vanadates), ferroics (RMn2O5) and borides and carbides which are both magnetic and/or superconducting (RB2C2, RB2C, hexaborides). These crystals will be grown by the floating zone technique using the three optical mirror furnaces that we have (two halogen lamp furnaces and one xenon arc lamp furnace), where possible. Alternative techniques such as flux growth and chemical vapour deposition will be used for the crystal growth of materials where the floating zone technique is not applicable. The furnaces allow us to grow crystals of the entire range of materials described under different growth conditions, ranging from various gas atmospheres, high pressures of up to 10 bars and temperatures of up to 3000 C. The crystal growth of some materials named in the proposal will be carried out as a first attempt as they may have never been produced in this form before. This will necessarily require several growth attempts to optimise the growth conditions.The single crystals grown are to be used in our EPSRC and CCLRC funded projects (as in the past). The crystals will also be made widely available to other researchers within the UK and internationally.