INCLUSIONS IN LIB3O5 CRYSTALS OBTAINED BY THE TOP-SEEDED SOLUTION GROWTH METHOD IN THE LI2O-B2O3 SYSTEM .1.

A series of solutions with B2O3 concentration 89.7-91.7 wt% in the Li2 O-B2O3 system was investigated with a view to the determination of the most suitable concentration region for growth of LiB3O5 crystals with out inclusions. The crystals were grown from these solutions by top-se eded solution growth (TSSG) technique under selected conditions. The i nclusions in the synthesized crystals were observed and characterized by optical microscopy (Part 1), and X-ray powder diffraction and elect ron microscopy (Part 2). The results obtained made possible the choice of the region of solution composition from 90.5 to 91 wt% B2O3 for gr owth of LiB3O5 inclusion-free single crystals. The formation of nuclei of the 2Li(2)0.5B(2)O(3) phase is advanced as reason for the increase in the amount of the microinclusions in the crystals grown from solut ions with B2O3 concentration 89.7-90.4 wt%.