Design of Crystal Growth Dimensionality in Synthetic Wax: The Kinetics of Nonisothermal Crystallization Processes

Abstract

The demand for the development of multifunctional materials in emerging technologies has stimulated intensive research on the control of crystallization processes in numerous scientific and engineering fields. In this article, we examine the kinetics of nonisothermal melt crystallization in synthetic wax using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) supported by polarized optical microscopy (POM) to describe crystallization modes in a multicomponent molecular system. We detected the macroscopic growth of three crystal phases and the formation of two crystal phases as a transformation from a disordered crystal mesophase into an ordered crystal. To characterize individual crystal phase formation, we examine the activation energy evaluated by isoconversional analysis and utilize the Ozawa and Mo methods to determine the kinetic details of the crystal growth from the isotropic phase. Our investigation reveals the possibility of the design of crystal growth dimensionality as three-dimensional spherulitic-like, two-dimensional rodlike, and one-dimensional needle-shaped crystal forms of shorter n-alkanes by controlling the solidification pathway of long-chain n-alkanes and the interplay of the thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms of crystallization.

Exploring Defect Dynamics and Twin-Layer Interactions in SiC Crystals through Molecular Simulations

“…With the advancement of computer technology, computational simulations have emerged as a primary method for studying crystal growth at the microscale. − Molecular dynamics simulations enable the modeling of crystal growth environments under various conditions, allowing observation of defect evolution during growth and investigation of crystal quality and performance postgrowth. − This study primarily utilizes molecular dynamics simulations to explore the growth mechanisms of SiC crystals, with a focus on the temperature-dependent growth rates of zinc blende and wurtzite structures and the evolution of defects influenced by twinning. Through detailed computations and visualizations, this paper delineates the dynamic nature of defect formation and discusses the characteristics of defect evolution across different crystal structures.…”