Synthesis of Crystals of Ultimate Sulfides in Sulfur Melt in a Stationary Temperature Gradient

The possibilities of growing ultimate sulfide crystals from a sulfuric melt in a stationary temperature gradient are described. The optimum synthesis mode is achieved when the temperature of the hot end (charge) is 550°C and the temperature of the cold end (crystallization region) is 460°C. As a result, TiS3, ZrS3, HfS3, V40S60, NbS3, TaS3, PdS2, CuS, Ag2S, metallic Au, HgS, CdS, Ga2S3, In2S3, SiS2, SnS2, PbS, Sb2S3, and Bi2S3 crystals of millimeter and submillimeter sizes were grown. Only polycrystalline agglomerates several tens of micrometers in size were obtained when transferring some metals, in particular, tungsten. The possibility of growing crystals of double sulfides was demonstrated using CrPS3 as an example. The considered technique makes it possible to obtain crystals of the required quality without special equipment; the small size of crystals is sufficient for laboratory study.