Growth of single-crystals of apatite-type oxide ionic conductor from sintered ceramics by a seeding method

A hexagonal apatite-type La9.33Si6O26 single crystal as an oxide ionic conductor has been successfully prepared by a method which is based on the single crystallization of the sintered polycrystalline La9.33Si6O26 ceramic on the surface of seed single crystal without their melt. The anisotropy in its conductivity was observed: conductivity component parallel to the c-axis was ca. 100 times higher than the perpendicular component.