Single Crystal Growth and Crystal Structure Analysis

Dear Colleagues,

Crystals have been the subject of solid body physics research for a very long time, for a very simple reason. By investigating the properties of crystals, we can create technologies and products that can be world-changing, such as microprocessors, lasers, and other optical devices, solar panels, and so on. Metals can also be obtained in the form of crystals, a fact that is often ignored, or forgotten. One of the most important methods of crystal growth was developed by Prof. Czochralski, based on copper crystals. Among the different kinds of crystals, the most well-known ones are single crystals, powders, polycrystals, nanocrystals, polymer single crystals, organic semiconductor single crystals, photonic single crystals, 2D single crystals, and so on. Despite years of research, however, there is still much to be achieved, and the production of large single crystals, e.g., for electronics, is often more of an art than a science.

Therefore, new knowledge on the subject of creating crystals, e.g., through the Czochralski process or Bridgman–Stockbarger technique, is necessary. While we have a broad understanding of the structure of crystals, not only due to traditional XRD research, neutron or electron scattering, or cutting-edge techniques, but also through magnetic and optical investigations, such as SQUID, EPR, NMR, and advanced spectroscopy, we need new methods to determine crystal structures globally and locally, e.g., around the dopant ion. It would therefore be advisable to examine new crystals, or known ones but in new configurations, for example, doped with other rare-earth or transition metal elements.  Some of the topics of interest include crystals and powders, nanopowders, stoichiometries, pure and doped crystals, defects and impurities, dopant ions and ion pairs, clusters, and color centers in crystals, and their properties and applications.

Prof. Dr. Sławomir Kaczmarek
Prof. Dr. Tomasz Bodziony
Guest Editors

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• solid-state crystals
• polymer crystals
• photonic crystals
• organic
• organic–inorganic crystals
• single crystals
• powders
• nanocrystals
• crystal growth methods
• crystal structure
• point defects
• pairs
• color centers
• clusters
• optical and magnetic properties
• application