Magnetite , crystal growth

Viswanathiah, M.N. Tareen, J.A.K. Krishna-murthy (1980) Low temperature hydrothermal synthesis of magnetite. J. Crystal Growth 49 189-192... 

FIGURE 3.13 Growth of magnetite crystals using chemical vapour transport... 

In the presence of dissolved aluminum ions, at not too high a temperature, the diflusion rate of the iron ions in the magnetite lattice is low. Hence, nucleus formation proceeds rapidly relative to crystal growth. Therefore, small iron crystallites, about 30 nm, form with correspondingly large specific surfaces. The aluminum probably remains partly in the iron crystallite in the form of very small FeAl204 areas statistically distributed over the lattice [262], [263], [294], [296], where an FeAl204 molecule occupies seven a Fe lattice positions [101]. 

Mann S. (1985) Structure, morphology, and crystal growth of bacterial magnetite. In Magnetite Biomineralization and Magnetoreception in Organisms (eds. J. L. Kirschvink, D. S. Jones, and B. J. MacEadden). Plenum, New York, pp. 311-332. 

Single Crystal Growth of Oxides by Skull Melting The Case of Magnetite 43... 

SINGLE CRYSTAL GROWTH OF OXIDES BY SKULL MELTING THE CASE OF MAGNETITE (Fe304)... 

Figure 8.18. The vapor transport method for the growth of magnetite crystals. At a high temperature powder reacts with a reactive gas (HCl) at low pressure to volatile compounds. These decompose at a lower temperature in another part of the closed reactor. HCl is formed there and diffuses back to react again with the powder.

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