Crystal growth and morphology of hindered phenol AO-60

Crystal growth of a hindered phenol compound, tetrakis [methylene-3-(3-5-ditert-butyl-4-hydroxy phenyl) propionyloxy] methane (trade name AO-60), was successfully recorded by optical microscopy (OM) equipped with a hot stage. The morphology of AO-60 crystals, grown at 100 °C from amorphous state, appeared in the form of tetragonal-sloped step growth. Further study using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experimentally demonstrated that AO-60 crystals had a hopper-like morphology, which had occurred rarely in the condition of organic compound crystals but predominantly rather to inorganic compound crystals in the reported literatures. The morphological features observed on the crystal surfaces suggested step growth and hopper growth mechanism. Besides, a raising around the edge of the AO-60 hopper crystal was also experimentally characterized for the first time.