Single crystal growth of plutonium compounds from molten metal fluxes

Abstract

The synthesis of single crystals of plutonium intermetallic compounds by the molten-metal flux growth technique is reviewed. The growth conditions, crystal structure, and physical properties including magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and electrical resistivity of the binary and ternary Pu-based single crystals synthesized at Los Alamos National Laboratory are discussed.

Keywords:

• plutonium compounds
• flux growth
• single crystal
• physical properties

Acknowledgments

We thank J. Kennison, L. Morales, and M. Ramos for their assistance in crystal growth operations in CMR over the years, and to B. Scott for his help in collecting and analyzing single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Work at Los Alamos National Laboratory was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, and funded in part by the Los Alamos National Laboratory Directed Research and Development program.