Method for purifying an inorganic material using a tube having a bend between a first end and a second end of the tube
AssigneeNorthwestern University
InventorsMercouri G. Kanatzidis, Wenwen Lin
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Abstract
Methods for purifying reaction precursors used in the synthesis of inorganic compounds and methods for synthesizing inorganic compounds from the purified precursors are provided. Also provided are methods for purifying the inorganic compounds and methods for crystallizing the inorganic compounds from a melt. γ and X-ray detectors incorporating the crystals of the inorganic compounds are also provided.
Claims15
A method for forming a purified thallium compound, the method comprising:
- combining:
- at least one starting oxidized thallium compound or at least two solid starting inorganic precursor materials, wherein at least one of said at least two solid starting inorganic precursor materials comprises oxidized thallium;
- and a carbon powder in a reaction vessel;
- sealing the reaction vessel under vacuum;
- melting the at least one oxidized thallium compound or the at least two solid starting inorganic precursor materials, wherein the carbon from the carbon powder reduces the thallium oxide to form a reduced, thallium compound or a reduced, thallium-containing inorganic precursor material;
- and
- solidifying the melt.
A method of reducing the phase segregation in a thallium-containing chalcogenide crystal or a thallium-containing halide crystal, the method comprising:
- loading a thallium-containing chalcogenide compound or a thallium-containing halide compound into a tube, wherein the thallium-containing chalcogenide compound or the thallium-containing halide compound comprises one or more impurity elements;
- sealing the tube under vacuum;
- mounting the sealed tube in a furnace;
- melting and re-solidifying the thallium-containing chalcogenide compound or the thallium-containing halide compound to form a boule of the thallium-containing chalcogenide compound or the thallium-containing halide compound in the bottom of the tube;
- forming a molten zone through a narrow section of a bottom portion of the boule;
- moving the molten zone upward through boule, while maintaining a solid plug of the thallium-containing chalcogenide compound or the thallium-containing halide compound above the molten zone as it moves upward through the boule, to provide a purified boule;
- discontinuing the upward motion of the molten zone before the molten zone reaches the top of the boule;
- and
- melting at least a portion of the purified boule and growing a crystal of the purified thallium-containing chalcogenide compound or thallium-containing halide compound from the melt via Bridgman growth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.