GROWTH AND SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF {101} CLEAVAGE PLANES OF L-ARGININE TRIFLUOROACETATE CRYSTALS.

Single crystals of nonlinear optical material, L-arginine trifluoroacetate (abbreviated as LATF), were grown from an aqueous solution by the low temperature solution growth method. The cell parameters of the grown crystal were determined by the X-ray powder diffraction analysis. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to investigate the surface morphology of {101} cleavage faces of LATF. Straight steps and two-dimensional nuclei were observed. Liquid inclusions and impurities as defects for revealing macrosteps were demonstrated. The molecular structure and crystal structure correlative with surface morphology were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]