Fabrication of La2Ti2O7 Crystals Using an Alkali-Metal Molybdate Flux Growth Method and Their Nitridability To Form LaTiO2N Crystals under a High-Temperature NH3 Atmosphere

Flux growth is a promising method that allows one to control over the crystalline phase, crystal shape, crystal size, and crystal surface through the selection of a suitable flux. In this work, lanthanum titanate (La2Ti2O7) crystals with different morphologies were grown using the Na2MoO4, K2MoO4, NaCl, and mixed NaCl + K2MoO4 (molar ratio = 3:7) fluxes, and their nitridability to form LaTiO2N crystals under a high-temperature NH3 atmosphere was also investigated. The effects of the solute concentration and cooling rate on the growth of the La2Ti2O7 crystals were also studied. The X-ray diffraction results revealed that the {100} plane was dominant in the La2Ti2O7 platelet crystals grown using the alkali-metal molybdate fluxes. When the solute concentration was increased from 1 to 20 mol %, the average size of the crystals decreased without considerable alteration of the overall crystal morphology. The La2Ti2O7 crystals with the preferred {010} and {001} growth directions along the b and c axes were grown using the Na2MoO4 and K2MoO4 fluxes, respectively. Compared to the Na2MoO4 flux, the K2MoO4 flux did not show a cooling-rate-dependent effect on the growth of the La2Ti2O7 crystals. It was found that conversion of the La2Ti2O7 crystals to the LaTiO2N crystals was strongly dependent on the flux used to grow the precursor La2Ti2O7 crystals. That is, the La2Ti2O7 crystals grown using the K2MoO4 and NaCl fluxes were nearly completely converted into the LaTiO2N crystals, while conversion of the La2Ti2O7 crystals grown using the Na2MoO4 and mixed NaCl + K2MoO4 fluxes to the LaTiO2N crystals seemed to be not completed yet even after nitridation at 950 degrees C for 15 h using NH3 because of the larger crystal size and the presence of unintentional impurities (sodium and molybdenum from the flux) in the La2Ti2O7 crystal lattice. Nevertheless, the LaTiO2N crystals fabricated by nitriding the La2Ti2O7 crystals grown using the K2MoO4 and NaCl fluxes should be suitable for direct solar water splitting.