Youssef Ben Smida

By Youssef Ben Smida, Riadh Marzouki, Savaş Kaya, Sultan Erkan, Mohamed Faouzi Zid and Ahmed Hichem Hamzaoui

The synthesis of single crystal is an area of intense activity in the materials science. The obtaining of the single crystal with sufficient dimension for X-ray diffraction depends on several factors including the chemical composition, crystal structure of the reagents, and physical parameters (temperature and pressure). In this context, this chapter is dedicated to the description of the most common synthesis methods of single crystal in the solid-state chemistry: solid-state method, hydrothermal, and slow evaporation at room temperature. Same other materials can be obtained at high pressure. There are also some physical techniques to grow single crystal, each technique is specific for specific materials.

Part of the book: Synthesis Methods and Crystallization

By Mosbah Jemmali, Basma Marzougui, Youssef Ben Smida, Riadh Marzouki and Mohamed Triki

The synthesis of polycrystalline powder is a key step for materials sciences. In this chapter, we present the well-known methods of preparation of powders such as: solid-state reaction, sol–gel, hydrothermal, combustion, co-precipitation. Moreover, synthesis methods by arc furnace, by heating in a “high frequency” induction furnace and by high energy grinding are presented. The obtained powders could be defined by their purity, gain size, crystallinity, and morphology, which are influenced by the synthesis method. In addition, each method is dependent on some parameters like pH, concentration and temperature.

Part of the book: Crystallization and Applications

By Basma Marzougui, Amira Marzouki, Youssef Ben Smida and Riadh Marzouki

This chapter is concerned with a study of undoped and doped cuprates of the general formula Ln2CuO4 (Ln = rare-earth metal) and Ln2–xMxCuO4±δ (Ln = rare earth and M = Sr, Ba, Ca, Ln’, Bi, and 3d metal). The crystal structures of the undoped and doped cuprates having the notations (T, T′, T*, S, and O), significantly depend, however, on the synthetic route. The topotactic synthesis is a specific method, which allows the transformation of the cuprate from the T to T′ structure. The importance of these materials originates from the discovery of the unconventional superconductors of the Ce-doped Ln2CuO4. The cuprate materials could function as insulators or semiconductors which are valuable tools in optoelectronic applications. The doped cuprate materials are good ionic conductors and are found useful as electrodes in fuel cell applications. The undoped cuprates reveal high dielectric properties.

Part of the book: Crystal Growth and Chirality