Collective effects during crystal growth in the presence of mobile nonreactive impurities: experiments and simulations

The growth of a solid phase in a liquid medium containing randomly disperse d mesoscopic impurities is discussed. Particles represent hindrances for th e growth front. They can remain static or can be pushed by the advancing in terface. The physics of the collective particle motion is outlined. Experim ents with Al2O3-SiO2 impurities in KCl crystal serve as illustrative exampl es. The collective effects due to the particle concentration are investigat ed through a kinetic growth model. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.