Transmission electron and optical microscopy of the domain structure of Ni3B7O13Br ferroic boracite

The study investigated the domain structure of nickel bromine boracite single crystals, by means of polarised-light in conjunction with transmission electron microscopy. Single crystals of Ni3B7O13Br were grown by chemical transport reactions in closed quartz ampoules, in the temperature range of 1130 K and were examined by polarising optical microscopy (PLM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). PLM was also used in order to study the behaviour of birefringence as a function of temperature. For TEM the single crystals were crushed and mounted on holey carbon films. Comparative electron microscope images were useful for revealing the domain structure of this fully ferroelectric/fully ferroelastic material previously observed between the crossed polars of an optical microscope. X-ray diffraction analysis of the crystal under study was performed at room temperature.