Electrochemical Sc₂O₃ Single Crystal Growth

Scandium oxide single crystals were successfully grown electrochemically by applying the Sc 3+ ion-conducting Sc 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 solid electrolyte at 950 °C. The obtained crystals distributed in the range of 0.1−1.3 μm, and the average size was 0.56 μm. Because the melting point of Sc 2 O 3 is as high as ca. 2500 °C, the single crystal growth of such refractory oxides as Sc 2 O 3 is considerably difficult by the conventional thermal heating−cooling crystal growth procedure. The presently developed electrochemical single crystal growth can be simply applicable at moderate temperatures around 1000 °C for the single crystal growth of another type of rare earth refractory oxide by applying the target rare earth ion-conducting Ln 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 solid electrolyte series.